


Destined Love

by AmethystBeloved



Series: Destined Love Trilogy [1]
Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sweetness overlaod, mush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22259749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystBeloved/pseuds/AmethystBeloved
Summary: A new set of mysterious new forces created out of Sakura and Syaoran's love for each other must be captured as their existing feelings for each other strengthen and new relationships are formed among their friend group.This fanfic was written back in 2002/2003 -- exactly 18 years ago when I was 18 years old.
Relationships: Eriol Hiiragizawa/Daidouji Tomoyo, Kinomoto Sakura/Li Syaoran, Mihara Chiharu/Yamazaki Takashi
Series: Destined Love Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2146503
Comments: 29
Kudos: 7





	1. A New Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic was written back in 2002 when I was still a teenager and I had no intention of ever coming back to it. It's cheesy and cringeworthy yet it still manages to retain its charm. However, in December 2018, KID-Z4P released a remastered version of Destined Love and I was beyond flattered: http://fav.me/dcv2mbx
> 
> Before diving into his version, I had to brush up my own. The year 2019 was a lot busier than I anticipted, but I'm ready to post version two of Destined Love. I cleaned up some editing errors, got rid of the overuse trope of describing a character by their eye colour and aligned it more with canon.
> 
> The characters are 17 and Syaoran recently returned to Japan for good.

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

~*~*~*~*~

Kinomoto Sakura woke up one morning after a peaceful sleep. Before opening her eyes, she smiled at the sensation of sunbeams dancing on her cheek. She drew back the curtains and was pleased to see the calm weather outside. This was going to be a special day.

* (Last week) *

Sakura and Syaoran were walking to school underneath one umbrella; he with an arm draped over her shoulder, and she with an arm around his waist.

"I thought you said we could have a picnic in the park," Sakura teased, poking her boyfriend playfully in the side.

Syaoran smiled fondly at the only girl that he'll ever love.

"Not many people enjoy eating under the clouds. I'll tell you what: school will be out next week, so why don't we celebrate the beginning of summer and our freedom at the same time?"

"That sounds great", answered Sakura, leaning her head on his shoulder.

* (End of flashback) *

The whole day was planned. First, Syaoran would go over to Sakura's house for breakfast. Then they'll go roller-skating down the boardwalk. After a quick stop at Syaoran's house, they'll have their long over-due picnic in the park. Sakura smiled at herself, because she knew that later on, she'd give Syaoran her surprise. The sound of the doorbell brought Sakura back to earth.

"Coming!" Sakura called running to the door, and opening it to find Syaoran standing on her porch.

'Gosh, he's looking so good.' she thought.

He was wearing a new pair of pants, a black t-shirt, and a dark blue unbuttoned shirt over his black one. His messy brown hair bounced around as he moved and his amber eyes were shining with amusement.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" asked Syaoran teasingly.

Sakura blushed and took a step back. Syaoran smiled, and softly kissed one of her flaming cheeks.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

The couple walked into the kitchen, where Sakura had already gotten everything ready. Syaoran smiled at what he saw in front of him. Homemade chocolate chips pancakes!

"How did you know that these were my favourites?" asked Syaoran, still not believing his eyes.

"Well, that's what happens when two people spend time together," Sakura giggled.

Syaoran and Sakura sat across from each other at the small table. They stated telling each other stories about their past adventures. First, Syaoran reminded his girlfriend about the time when they were about to kiss until the Sand Card "ruined the moment". Then, Sakura told the him about the time when Kero-chan used the Little Card on himself to eat the last piece of cake.

"These pancakes are great", stated Syaoran, between the mouthfuls.

"Complements gets you everywhere", answered Sakura, mischievously.

Before he could ask, Sakura slouched down a little to get a hold of Syaoran's foot. Once she managed that, she slowly started rub her foot against his in small circles. It was Syaoran's turn to blush.

'Gosh,' he thought. 'She really knows what to do to a guy.'

Sakura smiled inwardly as she witnessed her beloved turning red. Then she gasped as she felt Syaoran's foot starting to touch own. They continued this game in silence as they enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the meal.

~*~(At the board walk)~*~

Syaoran and Sakura were roller-skating hand in hand. Since it was morning, there were no crowds, which was perfect for the couple's date.

"I wonder how it's going between Eriol and Tomoyo?" questioned Syaoran.

"Well," began Sakura, "Eriol knows that he and Tomoyo should be together. We know that those two should be together, but-"

"Let me guess", interrupted Syaoran. "Tomoyo still isn't accepting her destiny?"

"Don't make her hear about her fate when you put it that way!" laughed Sakura.

As they continued down the boardwalk, they came across Tomoyo sitting on a bench, playing around with her video camera. She lifted her head up and smiled when she saw her two favourite friends.

"Hey guys!" she called out. "So I see you two are finally on your date! You make such a terrific couple!"

Syaoran and Sakura exchanged looks and with a slight nod, they both came to a silent agreement. The two of them sat on either sides of Tomoyo, and Sakura started talking first.

"Tomoyo, we think that you should give Eriol a chance. You two would also make a good couple."

Sakura paused for a moment, and Syaoran continued.

"The reason why Eriol used his magic the way he did was so Sakura could change the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards. Eriol knows how to act decent and he's a gentleman. He's really interested in you, and he only wants you to give him a chance."

Tomoyo didn't say anything until she stood up and faced her friends.

"This is just all too much for me at the time. I'll have to think about it some more," said Tomoyo.

Sakura and Syaoran got up, and left Tomoyo with her thoughts after saying goodbye.

The former card capting duo continued down the boardwalk hand in hand. Suddenly, a familiar voice came up from behind.

"Hey, it's Sakura and Syaoran! Have either of you seen Tomoyo?" asked Eriol, his sapphire eyes glimmering with hope.

"We did see her a few minutes ago. Just telling you, she isn't so sure about the outcome of a relationship between you and her," said Syaoran.

"If it's any consolation, we believe that the two of you will end up with each other," continued Sakura.

Eriol smiled at his two new friends. Ever since his task of testing Sakura, his life began to slowly change for the better. He learned to be less mysterious and more open with people. He broke away from his dark chambers, and he found true friends to spend his time with. A lot of the other girls had started to give him their attention. Nevertheless, his heart belonged to Tomoyo. if only she were to give a chance.

~*~(At the park)~*~

Sakura and Syaoran managed to find a perfect spot under the shade of a giant oak. The area was secluded from the public. It was if someone went out of their way to please the both them.

"So I wondered what you packed for us," said Sakura, lifting up one of the sides of the picnic basket.

Syaoran smiled. Ever since he came back from China, they have been spending many lunch periods in each other's company. Therefore, Syaoran had practically memorized all of Sakura's likes and dislikes. It wasn't too hard as it turned out they had many things in common.

"Chicken sandwiches, chocolate pudding and iced tea," answered Syaoran.

While they ate, they spoke about their plans for the summer. Then Sakura told Syaoran about what he missed while he was away. Then she told him about a school bake sale.

"...and that's how we stopped Kero from eating all the cake," finished off Sakura.

Syaoran threw back his head in laughter. That's when he noticed something sweet on her cheek.

"You have some pudding on your face," said Syaoran slyly.

Before Sakura could wipe the dessert off her face, Syaoran took her hand, and kissed the spot of pudding on her cheek. When he pulled back, he was licking his lips, and he had a twinkle in his eyes.

'Wow,' she thought. 'He really knows what to do to a girl.'

Syaoran took out two cups and poured them with ice tea. He gave one of them to Sakura.

"To a strong and long relationship." began Syaoran holding up his cup.

"...filled with laughter and love," finished Sakura, with a smile.

They toasted each other, and drank their drinks.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

Sakura and Syaoran were on the couch. Syaoran was sitting at one end. Sakura was lying across the couch, with her head on his lap. Neither of them was talking. They were enjoying each other's company in silence. As Syaoran was running his fingers through Sakura's hair, she took his hand and held it close to her.

"Please don't ever leave me," she softly said to Syaoran.

"Why would I ever leave such a pretty angel?" he questioned.

"I've never expected to fall in love. Now that I've found it, I don't want to lose it," answer Sakura, her voice quivering.

Syaoran sat her up and looked deeply into her eyes, which put the colour of the finest of emeralds to shame.

"Ying Fa..."

Sakura was surprised to hear Syaoran using her name in his native language. It made her feel special. Syaoran continued with what he was saying without breaking eye contact, even for a second.

"There is no way in this world that I'm going to leave you. Our love is what brought us together. Our love is what's going to keep us together. From the first time I saw you after you finished capturing the Silent Card, I felt some sort of connection between us. However, that feeling was deep under my anger that you were also a card captor. When I saw you in your seat in class, I was confused because I couldn't understand how the same girl who was my rival was also so beautiful. Once we started working together to get to the same goal, I figured out what was happening. Our love is destined, and it was only a matter of time before we got together."

Sakura held his face and kissed him passionately. Syaoran instinctively put his hands on her waist, and lay down on the couch, bringing Sakura down with him. Sakura started running her fingers through Syaoran's hair, which made him kiss her even harder. Sakura's hands began to roam lower. Soon enough, Syaoran's dark blue over-shirt came off, and ended up on the floor. As much as Syaoran wanted to continue, he knew they had to stop before things came out of hand. He started to sit up and Sakura pulled back. Both of them didn't say anything; they had to catch their breaths. Sakura spoke first:

"What's wrong?"

Syaoran closed his eyes, and let out a shaky sigh. He rested his forehead on Sakura's shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Then he began to speak:

"As much as I want you, I think it would be best if we were to wait."

Sakura smiled, and lifted up his head by placing her finger, under his chin.

"Xiao Lang," began Sakura.

The young warrior's eyes went wide with the sound of his true name coming out from his beloved's lips.

"I've never felt more safe in your arms. I love you so much for doing what's best. We'll know when the time is right once we're ready. There's no need to rush things now."

Syaoran lifted his head up, and smiled when his gaze became fixed on her emerald orbs.

"I have a surprise for you," said Sakura, softly.

"Really?" asked Syaoran, eagerly. "What kind of surprise?"

"One where we have to go outside for!" said Sakura. She stood up, pulling her partner along side her. This definitely isn't something to do indoors."

~*~(At the park)~*~

The sun had already gone down as the couple travelled through the warm night. Sakura led Syaoran by his hand, and brought him to an empty area. Syaoran had no idea what was going to happen. Sakura, on the other hand, was anxious to give Syaoran her surprise. They continued walking until Sakura stopped on a hill. She then turned to face her boyfriend with a smile.

"I want to show you how much I love you by displaying my affection," said Sakura timidly.

Before Syaoran could say anything, Sakura pulled back her sleeves and raised her arms.

'Please let this work,' she thought to herself.

All of a sudden, to Syaoran's surprise, red sparks began shooting out of Sakura's nimble fingers. In front of his eyes, a display of fireworks was in formation. The designs danced across the sky, leaving Syaoran speechless. The show concluded with a perfectly symmetrical heart lighting the sky. Sakura was breathless. Syaoran turned to his darling with wide eyes.

"When did you learn to do that?" asked Syaoran in astonishment.

Sakura smiled weakly as she slowly sat down on the soft grass beneath her.

"Oh, it's just a little something that I picked up while I was reading one of the Li Clan's ancient books that you gave me before you left," began Liz softy. "My magic is getting stronger by the day, and now I'm able to do a lot without using the cards. I came across this spell and it reminded me of us. The incantation needed true love, and the couple that witnessed the display together would be bound to lead a happy life."

Syaoran came from behind her and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. First, he tenderly kissed her neck. Then, he affectionately kissed her cheek. Finally, he kissed the hollow behind her ear, and whispered:

"Thank you for showing me how much you love me. Just don't tire yourself like that, or I'm going to be sick with worry."

"This has been the most perfect date ever", said Sakura, placing her arms around Syaoran's neck, feeling intoxicated in his trademarked autumn and sandalwood sent.

"I couldn't agree more," replied Syaoran, closing his eyes, and burying his face in her sweet cherry blossom scenting hair. That was when the couple's senses began to tingle.

"I am glad that I could be of service," said a whimsical voice coming from the shadows.

Sakura and Syaoran looked up to see who had spoken to them. There stood a young spirit wearing a flowery evening gown. Her pale hair flowed down to her hips, and her hazel eyes shown in the moonlight. Her translucent wings were delicately set behind her back.

"How do you do? I'm the Rendezvous. It was my duty to my creators to make their date perfect," said the figure in a melodic voice. "You two already had an idea on what was going to happen. All I had to do was make sure there was nobody there to interrupt you. I also asked the other spirits to lay low, so they wouldn't disrupt your special day."

Sakura and Syaoran looked at the talkative spirit with their jaws hanging open, but without one word coming out.

"W-Who are you?" stumbled Syaoran in a confused tone.

"A-And what do you mean when you said 'creators'?" stuttered Sakura.

The Rendezvous looked confused. "You don't know? Where's that Kero-chan when you need him?" she asked to no one in particular.

At that moment, the diminutive guardian beast of the seal came zooming to the scene.

"Sorry! I know that I'm late! But I just had to finish of the chocolate chips pancakes! Then I found the last butterscotch pudding! Then I had to eat the leftover pie! Then I-"

"Kero-chan!" yelled Sakura before Kero finished his list food. "What's going on? Where did this spirit come from, and where are the others? Why does she say that Syaoran and I are her creators when we've never seen her before?"

Kero-chan quieted Sakura down before he cleared his voice and began to speak:

"Long ago, Clow Reed had a lot of magic inside of him. He needed to exert his power in some sort of form that would help him in life. So he created the Clow Cards, which you now own. Sakura, this is a very important time for you. You are now in a relationship, and both you and Syaoran are fulfilling Clow Reed's dream of a new set of cards belonging to a new generation. Since the main feeling that you both are experiencing is love, the spirits that your magic is creating revolves around that sensation. Any questions?"

Syaoran and Sakura were speechless for a moment. They couldn't believe that their love was strong enough to create cards.

Kero-chan noticed that both Syaoran and Sakura didn't have anything to ask so he took that opportunity to fly away, and finish the ice cream.

"Are we going to get any help?" Syaoran asked the spirit.

The Rendezvous smiled.

"I thought you would never ask. Since you two are still young, we spirits will be giving you clues to give you a hand. Just keep in mind that some of us are very mischievous, so listen to what we have to say. If people around you are acting strange, a spirit is probably messing with their heads. So you have to get all of us a soon as possible before we start havoc in the city. Are you ready for your clue?"

Syaoran and Sakura stood up. They were more than ready to receive any information that would help them complete their newfound quest.

The Rendezvous closed her eyes and began to recite:

_FIND A FRIEND WHO'S IN DENIAL_

_THEN FIND THE ONE WHO LOVES HER_

_IF HE MAKES HER TIME WORTH WHILE_

_YOU'LL SOON FIND ANOTHER CAPTURE_

Sakura and Syaoran exchanged looks, and silently agreed among themselves that they would consult Kero-chan again for further explanation. The Rendezvous smiled at her soon-to-be masters. Sakura got her wand to seal the card as it began to dissolve in sparkles. She never left home without her key around neck, even though the Clow Cards and Sakura Cards days were over. However, a new adventure was just beginning. The teenagers smiled at each other and walked back home, hand in hand.


	2. A Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For chapter two, my past self played the game that many, many CCS fanfic writers participated in at the time: how to make Eriol and Tomoyo a couple when there was no hint of romantic feelings between the two in canon. Today I'm too much of a slave to canon to pull anything like that now, but past me didn't know better and the following was how I played my E&T cards to (not so spoiler alert) couple them up.

Chapter 2: A Chance

~*~*~*~*~

Daidouji Tomoyo was walking slowly through the park one cloudy afternoon. All sorts of ideas were swirling around her head, but there was only one specific thought that reoccurred the most.

'Can I really be with someone as dangerous as Eriol?' she thought to herself.

* (Last week) *

"Tomoyo, we think that you should give Eriol a chance. You two would also make a good couple," began Sakura.

"The reason why Eriol used his magic the way he did was so Sakura could change the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards. Eriol knows how to act decent and he's a gentleman. He's really interested in you, and he only wants you to be open to the idea," continued Syaoran.

* (End of flashback) *

'My life is so confusing. My best friend has a boyfriend now, and that makes me want more in life,' reflected Tomoyo. 'But do I want to be with Eriol?'

~*~(On the other side of the park)~*~

Hiiragizawa Eriol was strolling along the path, thinking of the only girl in his heart.

'All I need to do is win her affection! There must be something there that I haven't thought about, yet!'

* (Last week) *

"Hello, Sakura and Syaoran! Have either of you seen Tomoyo?" asked Eriol.

"We did see her a few minutes ago. Just telling you, she isn't so sure about the outcome of a relationship between you and her," responded Syaoran.

"If it's any help to you, we believe that the two of you will end up with each other," added Sakura.

* (End of flashback) *

'At least Sakura and Syaoran are on my side,' thought Eriol.

The sky began to darken with clouds. Then with no warning whatsoever, rain started to pour heavily from above. This didn't worry Eriol. He was already conjuring an umbrella big enough for two. He was going to turn around and head home, when something caught his eye. Someone was running for shelter under a tree. This person seemed familiar to the seventeen-year-old boy. It was Tomoyo, and she was going to get soaked. Without thinking twice, he headed towards her.

~*~(At the tree)~*~

Tomoyo couldn't believe her luck. She was so busy thinking about her predicament with Eriol, that she forgot to check the weather. Now she was caught in a heavy downpour. Just as she was going to make a run for it, she noticed someone with a large umbrella coming towards her. Tomoyo wasn't able to see his face, but she knew that he must have been a friend. He was coming to help her, and friends were always there to help each other out. Full of hope, the thankful girl made a mental note to herself that she owed the person with the umbrella a favour.

"Thank you, my friend!" Tomoyo began. "I really owe you..."

She wasn't able to complete her sentence. Under the umbrella stood nobody other than Eriol. He knew he had to say something fast before Tomoyo could have a chance to send him away.

"Listen Tomoyo," Eriol began hastily. "I know you don't like me very much, but your stuck in the rain with no dry way out. All I want to do is help you."

Eriol closed his eyes and waited for Tomoyo's response.

'He doesn't sound dangerous,' Tomoyo pondered. 'He did say he wanted to help me out, and I could sure use some help.'

Tomoyo grinned as she waited for Eriol to open his eyes. When he finally did, he was surprised to see her smile.

"Thank you for your help," said Tomoyo softly as she stepped under Eriol's umbrella.

He was at loss of words. So he turned around and started walking her home in silence.

~*~(At Tomoyo's house)~*~

Eriol brought Tomoyo all the way to her doorstep.

"You're welcome," stated Eriol simply as he turned to go.

"Eriol?" called Tomoyo softly.

Eriol's eyes lit up as he heard his name coming from his darling Tomoyo. He spun around.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Before I knew it was you underneath the umbrella, I thought you were a friend coming to help me out. In a way, I was right." Tomoyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Would you like to be friends?" Mentally, Tomoyo wondered if she was making a mistake.

Eriol couldn't believe his ears. She already was starting to give him a chance by letting him be her friend. Maybe one day, they could be more than friends. However, he was smart enough to know that he had to move at Tomoyo's speed. It was the only way.

"If you want me as your friend, I'll be your friend," stated Eriol casually before turning to walk away. He was over the moon with bliss.

~*~(Next day)~*~

Syaoran was sitting beneath a cherry blossom tree with Sakura relaxing in his arms. Neither of them could be happier, but in the back of their minds, they knew they had some work to do.

"So," Syaoran began. "When is Kero-chan coming to meet us?"

Sakura looked at her beloved. "Any time now. I think he should have finished playing his video game by now."

As if he was on cue, Kero-chan came from the sky, and landed expertly on Sakura's knee.

"Well, what did you want to ask me?" asked the guardian beast of the seal.

"It's something that happened after you left us last week to get back to the rest of the ice cream," said Sakura.

"The Rendezvous recited something strange. She told us to find a friend who's in denial, and then find the one who loves her," continued Syaoran.

"Then she said if he makes her time worthwhile, we'll get another capture," finished Sakura.

Kero-chan thought over the new information before he began to speak.

"You two are the ones chosen to continue Clow Reed's magic. Since this is your destiny, there's no way to avoid it. Therefore, your magic is creating cards that will help you find more cards with every capture. However, it is the captors' responsibility to make sense of the clue. Once everything is clear, the captors could find the card."

"Then I guess we should start figuring out this clue," decided Syaoran.

"Do we have a friend in denial?" asked Sakura.

Syaoran thought over her question for a moment when his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Sure we do!" he exclaimed.

"Tomoyo!" they shouted simultaneously.

"Now you two. No need to become too excited," hushed Kero-chan as he looked around to check if any people were too close.

"That probably means that Eriol is the one who loves her," deducted Sakura.

"How is he suppose to make her time worthwhile?" wondered Syaoran.

"I think I could help you out there," piped in the guardian. "The cards that need clues want to have their purpose effectively satisfied. When its job is accomplished, then the card would show itself to its captors."

"So all we have to do is find Tomoyo and Eriol to see what card is possessing them, and wait until the card is satisfied before we could get it," said Sakura with a sigh. "I wonder how long that would take. Tomoyo isn't too crazy about Eriol."

Syaoran wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her gently.

"We'll find a way," he assured. "I'm sure of it."

~*~(Tomoyo's house)~*~

Tomoyo looked out the window watching the day go by. Unlike yesterday, the sky was clear. Tomoyo smiled as she thought about yesterday's events. The way she was stuck in the rain. The way Eriol came to help her. The way Eriol looked after she called his name. He looked kind of cute.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. The last thing she needed to do was think of Eriol in a romantic way. Consumed in her thoughts, she didn't notice a card shaped object float above her head. The item glowed before it settled itself inside of her. Tomoyo didn't feel a thing. However, she did have the urge of finding a certain someone as soon as possible.

~*~(Eriol's house)~*~

Eriol fluffed the last pillow and carefully placed it on the couch. For some reason, he felt like cleaning up the house.

'As if anyone is going to come,' Eriol scoffed to himself.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Wondering whom it could be, Eriol opened it. His mouth dropped once he saw who it was.

"T-Tomoyo." Eriol stumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting a friend," said Tomoyo as she placed her index finger on the side of his chin. She walked through the door, moving Eriol's head along the way before the surprised boy had the chance to invite her in.

"Y-you want anything to eat or drink?" he asked.

'I can't believe this is happening!' thought Eriol. 'The girl of my dreams is sitting in my living room, and I had nothing to do with it!'

"No thanks. All I want is you," said Tomoyo casually. So casually, that she could have been telling him about something as simple as the weather.

"E-E-Excuse me?" Eriol asked doubtfully.

Tomoyo looked up and quietly giggled at Eriol's confusion.

"Silly," said Tomoyo as she took Eriol's hand, and pulled him on the couch.

Without hesitating, Tomoyo curled up against Eriol, and rubbed her head against his neck in a kittenish snuggle. Eriol's breath began to quicken, and his heart raced. He automatically draped his free arm around Tomoyo, and lovingly caressed her arm's length. His other hand's thumb was making circles on Tomoyo's hand as their digits were intertwined. Eriol couldn't have been happier, even if he didn't have a clue about what was going on.

~*~(Outside)~*~

Syaoran and Sakura were running down the street. Kero-chan was flying above them. They just came back from Tomoyo's house without any luck of finding her. Now they headed off to Eriol's house. Hopefully, both of them were there, and the captors could determine which card they're after.

~*~(Eriol's house)~*~

Eriol was lying on his back, and Tomoyo was comfortably on top of him. Their arms were wrapped around each other. Eriol was stroking her long, silky hair, and Tomoyo was listening to his strong heartbeat while absentmindedly playing with the material of Eriol's shirt. That was when Eriol gathered up his courage and asked an important question:

"Tomoyo, will you be my girlfriend?"

There was nothing more Tomoyo could do but smile.

"I thought you'd never ask," replied Tomoyo.

"So is that a yes or a no?" asked Eriol with a smile. He had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

Tomoyo pushed herself up and captured Eriol's lips with a warm kiss. She pulled back, but to her surprise Eriol lifted his head up for his lips to meet hers. They kissed again, and this time the embrace lasted longer and there was a touch of passion as Tomoyo ran her fingers through Eriol's hair. The new couple didn't notice a rectangular object breaking away from Tomoyo, patiently waiting above their heads. However, they did pull apart quickly when they heard a knock on the door.

Eriol opened the door, and took two steps back after seeing the sight in front of him. Sakura was armed with her staff, and Syaoran was ready with his sword. Before Eriol had a chance of inviting his friends in, they rushed strait in the living room, where they sensed the card. Just as they expected, the card was there, waiting for them. Still, both captors were surprised to see the state everything was in. The blanket on the couch was wrinkled along with the pillows, while everywhere else was tidy. Then there was Tomoyo and Eriol. Their hair was messy and their clothes were creased. It was as if they were...

"Card! Show yourself and identify who you are!" demanded Sakura, with a great curiosity to know what exactly went on.

At that moment, the card changed its form. It became a little girl, no older than the age of four. Golden blond curls tumbled about as she moved. Her brilliant blue eyes were wide with fascination with her surroundings. She wore a flowered sundress with a matching hat perch on the top of her head. On her back, there was a pair of delicate bumblebee wings.

"Hullo," said the card timidly. "Me named Cuddle!"

She pointed to herself with pride. Syaoran raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Sakura just smiled at the amount of sweetness presented before her. All of a sudden, both card captors grew pale as the same thought about the Cuddle Card crossed their mind:

'We created...?'

Syaoran and Sakura glanced at each other, and as soon as amber met emerald, they quickly looked away, faces turning red with the thought of creating a child of their own.

"Oh, befowe you captuwe me, I have shometing to tell you!" added the Cuddle. She cleared her throat and began to recite:

A FRIEND FROM THE PAST WILL ARRIVE, 

SHE WOULD ACT IN A WAY WHERE SHE FEELS ALIVE. 

IF YOU TURN THE POSITIONS AROUND, 

ANOTHER CARD WILL SOON BE FOUND.

Surprisingly enough, every word was as clear as day. Before capturing the card, Sakura looked over her shoulder to make sure that Kero-chan was paying attention. The card mistress lifted up her staff and captured the Cuddle Card. Once the sprite was in its card form, Syaoran and Sakura put it with the Rendezvous. Two cards down, and who knows how many more to go.

~*~(At the park)~*~

The sun was setting on the horizon and both couples were watching the view. Syaoran had his back to the cherry blossom tree with Sakura in front of him, as she was wrapped in his arms. Eriol was sitting on the ground with Tomoyo curled up beside him. Neither pair could have been happier.

"Well Tomoyo," Sakura began. "It looks like you did give Eriol that chance."

Tomoyo giggled, and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"If it wasn't for the Cuddle Card, I wouldn't have taken that kind of chance with Eriol. Then I'd be home alone, pitying myself for not not taking any chances," said Tomoyo.

Eriol looked down at the precious person in his arms.

"I'm telling right now that I'm never leaving your side," answered Eriol.

Sakura was content with the way things turned out. With Eriol as a permanent part of their group, he could be counted as another person to trust with the secrets of the new cards. She had a feeling that capturing the next few cards will be difficult. Deep in thought, she was slightly surprised was Syaoran took her hand.

"What are you thinking about?" Syaoran asked her softly.

"Only about how happy I am to be with you," Sakura answered gently with a smile.

The couple moved closer to each other as they shared a tender kiss.


	3. Renewing Old Friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first two mangas that I ever owned were the third and fourth CCS mangas because that's when Syaoran made his debut. Little did I know that I would be completely smitten by a drawing of Takashi and Chiharu holding hands in town at the start of the Mirror Card's story (Book 3, Page 16). That's all I needed for them to become my CCS OTP. I'm grateful because it was my love for them that led me to the beautiful world of Wishluv's New Trials.

Chapter 3: Renewing Old Friendships 

~*~*~*~*~

It was a calm day in the Mihara household in Odaiba, Japan. Mihara Mori just got off the phone after talking to Kinomoto Fujitaka, her old neighbour who lived in Tomoeda. She, her husband and her daughter used to live there until they had to move because of their jobs. Her daughter Chiharu also stayed in touch with Fujitaka's daughter as they were friends since elementary school and did cheerleading together. The sound of the door closing surprised her as she faced the hall.

"Chiharu, is that you?" she called out.

"Yes, Okaa-san. I just came back from work," answered the girl from the doorway.

Seventeen-year-old Mihara Chiharu was stunningly beautiful. She had shoulder-length brown hair in two braids, which she decorated with ribbons. Her brown eyes were her best features, but they always seemed to be missing something that could of made them sparkle. She was brought up to speak her mind, however during the last few years she had become more and more shy. Bashfulness was never a problem in her old neighbourhood, but then again she was with people that she knew ever since she was little. It's been five years since Chiharu had been living in Odaiba, yet she had always felt that Tomoeda was where her heart stayed. However, Sakura was the only one who she still corresponded to. In fact, she had been dropping subtle hints about visiting the Sakura in Tomoeda for the weekend.

"Okaa-san," began Chiharu. "Have you heard anything from Sakura-chan lately?"

"I just finished talking to Sakura's father. It looks like we'll be visiting our old neighbourhood," said with a smile. "We leave on Friday."

Chiharu was so happy, that she wasn't able to sit still as she jumped up to give her mother a hug.

"Thank you, Okaa-san!" shrieked the excited girl. "I'm going to start packing now! Thank you! I love you!"

Mori laughed as she replied: "Your welcome, and I love you too."

She turned around, and smiled when she saw her husband coming through the door.

"It's about time!" said to him, kissing his cheek. "Pack your bags; we'll be leaving to visit Fujitaka, Touya and Sakura on Friday."

"Sounds good to me! A vacation would be nice," he said with a grin.

Mori took his hand and led him to the kitchen.

"It will be just like old times", she claimed.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol were sitting around the living room, trying to figure out the Cuddle Card's clue.

"What did that spirit mean when she said a friend from the past?" asked Tomoyo.

Before Sakura could tell her friend that she had no idea, Fujitaka's head popped out from the door.

"Sakura-chan! Guess what," the cheerful man began. "Chiharu and her family will be coming from Odaiba to visit us. They'll be arriving Friday night!"

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Chiharu was one of her oldest friends.

'Hey,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Isn't Chiharu like a friend from the past?'

Sakura smiled to herself as she managed to get the first part of the clue.

"Thanks for telling me, Dad. I can't wait to see her, and her parents again!" exclaimed Sakura.

Fujitaka left the room and Sakura leaped on the couch, and threw her arms around her boyfriend.

Eriol raised his eyebrows at the scene in front of him.

"What's up with her?" he asked Tomoyo.

The amethyst-eyed girl squeezed her boyfriend's hand.

"I'm sure she'll tell us when she's finished, Eriol," she answered.

Syaoran loosened Sakura's grip, but he still let her keep her arms around his neck.

"What's going on?" asked Syaoran anxiously.

"Don't you guys get it?" cried out Sakura. "Chiharu is the 'friend from the past'! The next card will be targeting her!"

"That's great news, Sakura," said Syaoran. "The sooner we capture all these cards, the better."

"So why don't you tell us about what's going on in Chiharu's life since she moved away?" suggested Tomoyo, who wasn't able to stay in touch.

After making herself comfortable in Syaoran's arms, Sakura told everyone all she knew regarding Chiharu. She talked about how Chiharu changed since she moved away. Instead of being that loud girl who would always take care of Takashi's lies, she became quieter and more reserved.

"I guess we'll have to wait to see Chiharu for ourselves to find out what card she's stuck with," commented Eriol.

Everyone around him nodded in agreement.

~*~(Friday night)~*~

Sakura was trying to read a book on the couch while she was impatiently waiting for the guests to arrive. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang and Sakura looked up with a smile.

"They're here!" cried Sakura.

The seventeen-year-old raced to the door and opened it wide. There stood her good friend Chiharu accompanied by her parents.

"Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Chiharu wrapping her arms around her friend in a hug. "It's been so long! So what's going on with everyone else?"

"It's a long story," answered Sakura. "Things are going great with Syaoran and me, Tomoyo and Eriol are a couple, and Takashi is still single, even though girls are chasing after him every day."

Chiharu blushed when she heard Takashi's name. But then she shook her head to clear out her thoughts.

'Why would he want to go out with me?' Chiharu thought to herself. When we were kids, all I did was yell at him. Now I'm even too shy to write him a letter. What's wrong with me?'

Sakura noticed the concerned look on Chiharu's face. But she decided not to do anything. Well, at least for now.

~*~(Next day)~*~

Sakura promised Chiharu that she'd bring her to meet her friends. So far, Chiharu was acting like herself. That meant a card didn't possess the brown-haired girl yet.

"Gosh Sakura-chan", began Chiharu. "You're so out-going. I wish I could be less shy and act more like you."

Sakura gave her friend a small hug.

"Don't worry about it," she advised. "You're back to your old home, so you're free to act like your old self. All you need to do is mingle with the crowd and your old personality will come back to you. Hey, there's everybody now!"

Tomoyo, Eriol, and Syaoran were sitting on a park bench, waiting for Sakura and Chiharu to come. All three of them smiled when they saw both girls coming.

"Chiharu-chan, it's great to see you again!" said the amethyst-eyed girl, giving her old friend a hug. "I'm going out with Eriol now."

Eriol gave Chiharu his warm trademarked smile as a greeting, which Chiharu comfortably returned. She was able to feel herself relax already.

"Hey Chiharu," said Syaoran.

"Syaoran! It's great to see you back in Japan again!" exclaimed Chiharu. "From reading all of Sakura's letters, it looks like that you're making her very happy!"

Syaoran blushed with the new information that he just heard. Sakura just smiled, because she noticed that Chiharu was becoming more outgoing by the minute, and that was exactly what she wanted.

~*~(On the boardwalk)~*~

The group was enjoying the sunshine as they strolled past the stores. Everyone was eating ice cream on the bench, and thinking about nothing important. Little to their knowledge, a card was patiently lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to settle itself in its next victim.

"Hey guys", Chiharu said as she started to get up. "I'm going to go get another cone."

"Can you get another one for me while you're at it?" asked Eriol.

"Sure!" replied Chiharu as she collected the extra money.

She went to the stand and made her purchases. While she was coming back, the card came out of hiding and started to follow her.

Sakura looked up from where she was sitting to find her friend. That was when she saw a rectangular object entering Chiharu.

"Oh no!" Sakura cried. "A card has Chiharu!"

The four friends watch Chiharu anxiously as she came towards them. She didn't look different except for the fact that she had an impish gleam in her eyes.

"Chiharu, are you feeling okay?" questioned Sakura nervously.

Chiharu acted as if she didn't even hear her. Instead, she made her way to Eriol.

"Here's your ice cream, sweetie," cooed Chiharu as she made her fingers brush against his longer than necessary.

"Um... what the...?" trailed Eriol, dropping the dessert on the ground out of surprise.

"What's going on?" Tomoyo demanded with fury in her eyes as she witnesses the confusing scene unfolding in front of her.

Syaoran studied the scenario with a creased brow while Chiharu was trying to make another play towards Eriol. That was when everything clicked.

"I got it!" he cried. "The only way we're going to fix this is by getting Chiharu away from us guys until we figure out how to get the card out!"

Chiharu turned around and looked at him.

"Hey, you're kind of cute," the she said, advancing towards Syaoran.

"Oh no you don't!" warned Sakura lightly as she steered her friend away from her boyfriend. "You're coming with me! You too, Tomoyo. Now guys, I think it would be best to stay away from Chiharu until we figure out what to do with the card inside of her."

"Great idea", said Syaoran after giving Sakura a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Where's my kiss, sugar?" asked Chiharu, pouting.

"We have to go now!" cried out Eriol, linking his arm with Syaoran's and running off. It appeared that the new card was really freaking him out.

"Well Tomoyo", began Sakura still clinging on to Chiharu. "We have a lot of work to do."

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

"Maybe we should start thinking about what the clue means," suggested Tomoyo once the trio entered the house.

"Times like these are when we could really use Kero-chan's advice," replied Sakura with a sigh.

"Somebody asked for me?"

The diminutive yellow guardian flew through the kitchen, and landed on the couch.

"Right on time!" exclaimed Sakura as a wave of relief washed over her.

"It looks like a new card has gotten a hold of her. Let's think about the Cuddle Card's clue," suggested Kero.

"Chiharu definitely is our friend from the past," started off Tomoyo.

"Hmmm." pondered Sakura. "She's always telling me that she wished that she would be less shy. Maybe her quietness makes her feel as if she's missing out on life."

"You have the second line of the clue right there," pointed out Kero. "Now think. How can we turn the situation around? The card's nature seems as if it always wants to be the one in control."

"So all we have to do is find someone who knows Chiharu really well, and pretend that he's coming on to her. That way, the card will lose its advantage, and then we'll be able to capture it!" cried out Sakura.

"That's a good idea," continued Tomoyo. "I even know just the right guy for the job."

Sakura got up and went to the kitchen to use the phone. After discussing the plan with the only person who could help Chiharu, the group decided to meet in the park to start hatching their plan.

~*~(At the park)~*~

"So let me get this straight", began Eriol. "He's going to turn the tables on Chiharu and get the card out? I can't believe he's doing this!"

"It seems like a pretty good idea," said Kero-chan.

Syaoran took one look at Chiharu, and another look at the guy who everyone was waiting for. He was coming down the path right now.

"There's no other way," continued Syaoran. "Okay Sakura, let her loose."

Sakura let go of Chiharu and the brown-eyed girl made her way to the first male that caught her eye.

The person was no one other than Yamazaki Takashi. Ever since Chiharu moved away, he felt as if a part of him was missing too. So when Sakura called him and explained what was going on, Takashi didn't have to think twice about helping the girl who he secretly loved. Even though the whole story about the magic cards did seem farfetched (even to him!), he knew Sakura would never lie about anything. Now it was his job to save his secret crush from whatever danger that was harming her.

"Hey honey", Chiharu cooed as she made her way towards Takashi, not even recognizing who he was. "Wanna have a good time?"

Takashi took a deep breath; savouring all the attention that Chiharu was giving him. Nonetheless, he had to do something important, and he would never put his happiness in front of her safety. He got in his story mode, and he knew this was going to be the craziest, yet most significant lie yet.

"You don't have to ask twice, babe," he said conceitedly, pretending to be someone he's not. "Come with me and you'll never have to ask anyone that question again. Let's get going, doll, I know a place where we could be alone."

The card inside of Chiharu was becoming confused. This wasn't suppose to happened. She was supposed to control him. Not the other way around.

"No!" cried Chiharu as she broke out of his arms. "Leave me alone! Get out of here!"

Chiharu was trying to fight the feeling inside of her. She thought the person that she was talking to familiar, yet different in an unimaginable way. Exhausted with the conflict inside of her, she fainted and landed in Takashi's protective arms. The card floated out of Chiharu's body and turned itself in its true form. The card took the form as a woman in a daring midnight blue evening gown with a slit that went up to three- quarters of her leg. Her hair was so blond, that it was almost white, and it was fixed in a complicated hairstyle. Her make-up was perfect, and her jewellery shone with the light. In fact, the spirit looked as if she had just stepped out of a glamour magazine.

"Good day, everyone," greeted the spirit in a sleek voice. "My name is Seduce. That was a really clever of getting me. Don't worry about your friend. She'll come to as soon as I'm captured. I guess it's time for your clue:

THIS CARD WILL CHANGE YOU FOR A NIGHT

BUT EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT.

YOU'LL FIND YOURSELVES IN PURE BLISS

ALL THE CARD NEEDS IS ONE HEARTFELT KISS

With those words, Sakura used her staff to capture the Seduce Card. Before Chiharu woke up, Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol left the scene, after acknowledging Takashi with a silent nod each. Once they were gone, Chiharu was starting to regain consciousness, as the aroma of Manju Shages was teasing her sense of smell. Such a familiar smell, but could it be? As soon as she was awake, she blushed when she realized that she was nestled in Takashi's strong arms.

"Heh, heh," giggled Chiharu nervously. "Nice to see you again, Takashi."

Takashi smiled at the precious bundle in arms, as he became intoxicated with the smell of Freesias that seemed to still be ingrained in her hair, even after all those years away from each other. Once again he was able to feel whole. Still, he did not want to reveal his feelings to the one he loved. After five years apart from his dear Chiharu, there was no way he was going to scare her off with his confession. Just being her friend would be worth everything in the world. That and admiring the sparkle in her eyes.

~*~(Monday)~*~

"Oh, Chiharu. I can't believe you guys have to leave so soon!" complained Sakura. "And things were really starting to get intimate with you and Takashi too!"

"Sakura!" exclaimed Chiharu with a rosy hue colouring her cheeks. "Takashi and I are just friends!"

Sakura smirked. She knew they were going to get together soon. They'll just wait until their ready.

"Chiharu! We'll be leaving in a few minutes!" called her father, not wanting to be stuck in traffic.

Chiharu gave Sakura one last hug before she turned around to head towards the car. However, she wasn't able to get very far, because a handsome young man was waiting for her to bid her farewell. Chiharu smiled as she made her way towards him.

"I'm so happy that we're friends again," murmured Chiharu as she wrapped her arms around Takashi to give him a hug.

Takashi returned the embrace, as he took in the last whiffs of Freesias before she went away again. Except from this point, neither time, nor distance could keep the destined lovers out of each other's lives.


	4. A Night to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was just wish-fullfillment and utter daydreaming on my part of what would be the perfect date. It had next to no conflict, which actually started to annoy some of my readers. I was painfully shy back when I wrote this and I didn't start dating until a few years later when I was in my twenties. Let me live in my bubble!

Chapter 4: A Night to Remember

~*~*~*~*~

Sakura and Tomoyo were sitting on the Kinomotos' back porch, sipping ice tea, and enjoying the calm weather. Sakura was feeling rather content at the moment. Something was making her feel as if she was on cloud nine. She felt like getting ready for something. Something special.

"Come on Tomoyo! We have to go shopping!" cried out Sakura.

Her friend was slightly confused with the sudden outburst. However, she simply shrugged it off. With Sakura, there was always another adventure just around the corner.

~*~(Meanwhile, at Syaoran's house)~*~

Syaoran was lying on the couch, thinking of nothing in particular, when some sort of feeling came over him like a tidal wave. He got up right away.

'I have a lot of work to do', he thought to himself. He went to the phone and dialled his girlfriend's number. It rang two times before Sakura picked up.

"Hello?" came Sakura's sweet voice from the other end.

"Hey Sakura, it's me," began Syaoran. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

"Sure I do," replied Sakura. "In fact, I was just thinking of the same thing!"

"I'd love to. Would you like to go to Misoguigawa, the new restaurant downtown?" asked Syaoran.

Sakura was speechless for a moment.

"I-Isn't that kind of fancy and expensive?" she stuttered.

"Only the best for my angel," Syaoran answered. "We should do these kinds of things since we're together."

Sakura thought everything over for a moment.

"All right, but only if we then come back to my place for dessert."

"Would it be okay if I picked you up at six-thirty?"

"That'd be great!"

"Bye Sakura. I love you."

"See you later, Syaoran. I love you too."

Syaoran hung up the phone and started looking for the number of that new place in town.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

"Oh my gosh!" cried out Sakura.

Tomoyo ran in the kitchen, where her friend was standing.

"What's up?" asked Tomoyo curiously.

"Syaoran is taking me to Misoguigawa!" Sakura shrieked.

"You mean that fancy and luxurious restaurant?" asked Tomoyo with stars in her eyes.

"The same one!" replied Sakura.

The two girls started to scream, and jump up and down. Sakura was the first one to calm down.

"Come on! We still have to go shopping, and now I need to find the perfect dress!"

~*~(That night)~*~

It was six-twenty, and Sakura was sitting with her father, and patiently waiting for Syaoran to come. She and Tomoyo spent a couple of hours finding the right dress. Just as she was about to get frustrated, something lightly tickled her senses. Casually following her feelings, she was led to a small dress shop. She went in, and there it was: the perfect dress.

The colour was a beautiful shade of dark blue. The top of the dress had sleeves that were off her shoulders. The dress flowed down to her ankles, swaying from left to right with her every move. Sakura never felt more comfortable, and she was eagerly waiting for her boyfriend's arrival.

The sound of the doorbell brought her back to reality.

"Sakura! Syaoran is here!" Touya called out from the front door.

"Have fun, honey," said Fujitaka quietly to his daughter with a certain gleam in his sparkling eyes.

Sakura kissed her father on the cheek.

"Thanks Otou-san, she began. "I'm sure I will."

Fujitaka gave his pride and joy a smile.

'My daughter's growing up,' he thought to herself.

"Tell me all about it," Fujitaka added.

"Certainly!", Sakura said with a giggle, as she returned the smile.

Sakura made her way to the front door to tell her brother good-bye.

"Enjoy yourself, Sakura," Touya said to his sister.

"Thank you, Touya," Sakura replied feeling a bit surprised because he didn't tease her at all.

Finally, Sakura turned to Syaoran. For the second time that day, she was speechless. She thought he looked gorgeous. He was wearing a navy suit that complemented her dress perfectly. His hair was neatly combed, and his amber eyes shown in the moonlight. His chest pocket held a small white flower. In his hands he held a box that contained a fully blossomed white rose.

As Syaoran pinned on the corsage on his beloved, one million and one thoughts started to run through his head. He had never seen someone as lovely. Everything from her head to toe was elegant. Her tresses were set in a stylish hairdo. He noticed her subtle use of make-up, which brought out her delicate features. However, what she was wearing was the most stunning of all. She looked so beautiful in her dress. It looked as if the outfit was made for her.

"Are you all ready to go, my gorgeous princess?" he asked, offering his arm.

"I've never been more set, my good-looking prince," quipped Sakura with a smile as she took is arm and they headed to the restaurant.

~*~(At the restaurant)~*~

Syaoran and Sakura got a private table for two, which was away from the crowd. Soft music was playing and every now and then couples would dance to the slow melody. The two card captors were studying the menus.

"So what are you getting?" asked Syaoran. "I've heard great things about their kobe beef."

"The grilled lobster looks divine," answered Sakura.

They gave their orders to the waiter, and when they received their dishes, they were pleased with the outcome. They agreed that the price was worth it.

"So how's your lobster?" questioned Syaoran.

"Find out for yourself," said Sakura coyly.

Before he could ask what she meant, he found her holding up her fork in front of his mouth. On the utensil, held a bite-sized amount food. Syaoran raised his eyebrows at Sakura, and nibbled on the piece.

"Hey, it's pretty good," he complimented. "Your turn!"

He picked up some of his beef on his fork, and placed it in front of his girlfriend's lips. With a smile, Sakura quickly tried some of his food before Syaoran could have had the chance to smear any of the sauce on her face.

"My, aren't we in a hurry," observed Syaoran.

"I didn't want you to make a mess out of my face," Sakura replied.

"Why would I ever do a thing like that?" asked Syaoran innocently. "By the way, you look so beautiful tonight, I'd never dream about changing any of your features."

Sakura blushed at the compliment.

Well, you don't look so bad yourself," she said, bashfully.

As soon as the couple finished their entire meal, Sakura was looking longingly at the dance floor. Syaoran chuckled to himself as he realized his girlfriend was too shy to ask him to dance. The male card captor swiftly stood up and extended his arm out to his beloved.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, even though both of them knew he didn't have too.

"I'd love to," said Sakura, slipping her hand into his.

Syaoran led her to the dance floor, and spun her around once before sweeping her into his arms. He placed his arms around Sakura's waist. She wrapped her arms around Syaoran's neck, and leaned her head on his shoulder. The couple swayed to the music, not loosening the grip on each other.

Finally, the restaurant's waiters were telling everyone that it was time to go. Syaoran groaned and rested his chin on the top of Sakura's head.

"It's too soon for this night to end," he murmured.

Sakura leaned back to look at Syaoran.

"Who said anything has to end right away?" asked Sakura with a smirk. "You're coming to my house for dessert, remember?"

Syaoran's eyes lit up with the thought of spending even more time with the angel he was holding in his arms.

"So what are we waiting for?" questioned Syaoran eagerly.

The two left the restaurant and made their way back to the Kinomotos.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

All was quiet when Sakura and Syaoran got to her house. Fujitaka and to do some work at the university, and Touya had just left for a late movie with Yukito. Kerochan was already asleep as his snores could faintly be heard from upstairs. The couple made their way to the living room. Sakura dimmed the lights, and lit the candles by using her magic. Then she put on some soft music and retrieved a couple of pieces of her father's decadent chocolate cake.

Syaoran smiled at himself as he watched his girlfriend accomplish tasks by using her inherited magic. Sure, he had magic running through his veins too. Nevertheless, his ability of using supernatural powers didn't flourish as fast as hers did in such a short period of time. He couldn't have been more proud of her talent.

Once they finished their cake and tea, Sakura comfortable nestled in Syaoran's arms.

"You seemed to be deep in thought," Sakura observed.

"Oh, I was just thinking about this new magic," he began. "It's a weird responsibility to have of something that I took part in creating, and yet know nothing about. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like without these new cards in my life."

Sakura reflected upon her boyfriend's words. A life without magic? The thought never occurred to her. Even though she had been practicing magic for seven out of seventeen years, her powers had become something as natural as breathing for her. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Syaoran, do you regret having the responsibility of capturing these new cards?" Sakura asked uncertainly.

The amber-eyed boy chuckled, and slipped his hand into Sakura's hand.

"I have to admit, capturing these new cards can be tricky, and it's another responsibility to add on the already long list. Even so, I'm very thankful for the opportunity to do this," replied Syaoran.

"Why's that?" questioned Sakura.

"Because these cards were created by our love. If that isn't special, I don't know what is," answered Syaoran as he gave Sakura's hand a squeeze.

The couple didn't say anything for a while. They were lost in their respective train of thought. Sakura was listening to the sound of her boyfriend's heartbeat, while Syaoran was absentmindedly running his fingers through his girlfriend's silky hair. Suddenly, Sakura sat straight up.

"What's wrong?" asked Syaoran in concern.

"I was just thinking about that clue the Seduce Card gave us!" cried out Sakura.

"Are you talking about how we were suppose to act differently for a day?" asked Syaoran.

"Didn't you have some kind of sensation come over you this morning?" began Sakura. "That's a sign of acting differently!"

"That does make sense," murmured Syaoran. "And come to think of it, both of us are still okay."

"More than okay," retorted Sakura. "Personally, I thought this night was 'pure bliss'. Do those words ring a bell?"

"Sure they do!" said Syaoran, happily. "Now all we have to do is kiss, and the next card is ours!"

Sakura bent down her head in shyness as a blush began to colour her cheeks. Kissing had never been so hard before, but now she was in a different setting. The full moon outside the window was letting its moonbeams dance wherever its light could reach. The candles were still burning softy, giving the quiet room another kind glow. The only sounds which could be heard was the low ticking of the clock, and the inhales and exhales of the two people sitting on the couch.

Syaoran noticed the bashfulness that was displayed on his angel. He knew why she was acting the way she was. The surroundings were getting to him, too. Nevertheless, he had a job to do, and he was looking forward to a goodnight kiss.

First Syaoran used his index finger to lift up Sakura's chin. Once amber met emerald, Syaoran leaned closer to his girlfriend. Sakura's eyes fluttered closed on their own accord. She then felt Syaoran' lips brush against hers. It wasn't a kiss; he was just teasing her. Sakura didn't want to play any games, so she leaned forward, trying to capture Syaoran's lips. However, Syaoran was having too much fun. He leaned back, waiting for Sakura's eyes to open once more.

Sakura's eyes opened again, to find and amuse Syaoran looking at her with a grin. There was no way someone could stay angry at such a face. If she wanted something to be done, she had to do it herself. The female card captor wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Then she leaned forward and gave him a heartfelt kiss.

Syaoran couldn't ask for a better kiss. He could feel her love for him a she pulled him closer. All of her feelings, passion, and affection were bonded in that one profound kiss. He knew suspending the kiss would make it much more desirable. Finally, the couple had to part for air.

"Wow." was all Syaoran could say.

Before Sakura could reply, a card entered the living room, and began to take form. A young man in his early twenties emerged. He was wearing a formal black tuxedo complete with a bow tie. Tall and handsome, his dark hair framed his face perfectly. His brown eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

"Good evening," said the card in a deep voice. "I am Romance. I hope the two of you enjoyed this night. I did my best for things to go smoothly."

"We had a great time, thank you," said Sakura.

"Yeah, thanks for everything," added Syaoran. "I've never had such an incredible night."

"The pleasure was all mind," replied Romance. "Before you capture me, I must give you these words: 

ABSENCE MAY MAKE THE HEART GROW FONDER

YET, THIS COUPLE CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER

A SECRET IS WHAT THEIR REUNION MUST BE

SO YOU MUST SIT BACK, WAIT AND NOT SEE

Sakura got up, and sealed the Romance Card. The spirit took its traditional shape as a rectangle. Another card was captured. However, there was something about the new clue that was bothering her.

"It looks as if the cards have a plan to bring Takashi and Chiharu back together," said Syaoran as he walked behind Sakura and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Sakura closed her eyes, and took in his scent of autumn and sandalwood. "But we have to leave them alone," she replied. "Or else they won't be able to get their feeling out in the open."

"By the sound of the clue, it seems that this card will be coming to us instead of us going to it," stated Syaoran assertively.

Sakura laughed. "So I guess the cards are giving their creators a break."

"And I guess that calls it a night," observed Syaoran. "I think I should head home now."

Sakura walked her boyfriend to the door. With one last kiss, Syaoran walked away in the moonlight. Sakura closed the door, and let out a sigh. She had an amazing boyfriend, and it was magic that deserved the credit of bringing them together.


	5. Together at Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was in college, my friend shared many of her romance and YA novels with me. I remember next to nothing from what I read almost twenty years ago with the exception of one scene that I totally ripped from one of the books to give Takashi is story in this chapter. I can't take credit for it, but I do love the way it played out.

Chapter 5: Together at Last

~*~*~*~*~

The rain was beating heavily on the window of Yamazaki Takashi's room. The seventeen-year-old boy looked up from the joke book that he was reading and shivered from the thought of being outside in such a torrential storm. While he was getting back to his book, he heard a knock on his windowpane. He looked out, but he was only able to see the black outline of the tree's branches, which were long enough to hit the glass. That was when the lightning struck, and an image of an angel flashed in front of his eyes. Takashi was shocked and he shook his head trying to look out the window again. Knocking on the glass for a second time was a dripping wet Mihara Chiharu, with only one ribbon left in her soaking hair.

"Chiharu!" gasped Takashi rushed to the window to pull his precious friend through. "What are you doing here?"

Before Chiharu could of answered, she sneezed and started to shiver from the cold.

"You need to get a change of clothes before you get sick," Takashi murmured. He rooted through his drawers, and took out a sweater and a pair of cotton drawstring pants. Chiharu offered him a thankful smile, and she went to the bathroom connected to his bedroom without saying a word.

'Takashi would want to have an explanation for all of this,' she thought to herself. 'I hope he'll understand.'

In the mean time, thoughts were tumbling through Takashi's head as he did his best to tidy up his room before Chiharu came out again. It had been a whole month since they were last together. Ever since then, they chatted with each other until the late hours of the night. Then there were her letters. How he loved her letters that were always hand written on paper, which somehow always seemed to smell like the freesias that she loved so much. Now he was reunited with his beloved again, with only one thought dominating his head. Why did she leave her family to come from the rain and through his window just to see him?

His thoughts were interrupted as soon as Chiharu came out from the bathroom. Takashi was struck by awe with her beauty. Her skin looked as smooth as a petal, and he ached to touch her cheek. However, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away. Not when it looked as if she really needed him.

"Takashi, I bet you're wondering why I'm here," began Chiharu as she started walking. She stopped when she was standing in front of him.

Takashi couldn't help but placing his index finger on her cushiony lips to quiet her.

"Shhh." he hushed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to right away. It must be something serious since you left your home to come back to Tomoeda."

Chiharu savoured the feeling of his finger upon her lips, and blushed with the contact. Then she shook her head no, and locked her eyes with Takashi's.

"This is my home, and it's where I belong," she stated firmly.

"But what about your parents?" he asked in a worried voice.

Chiharu closed her eyes, and explained to him that it was the only way they would understand. She wrote them a letter, telling them that she'll be meeting them at Sakura's house tomorrow afternoon. She said that they'd get the picture soon enough, and then they'll go back to their one true home.

'And I'll get to spend some more time with Takashi,' she thought to herself.

Takashi decided not to go against Chiharu's choice. Ever since her visit at Tomoeda, the old Chiharu that everyone used to know came back out. Her shyness melted away, and she became strong mined once more. All of a sudden, Chiharu let out a loud yawn, and blushed.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "The journey here wore me out, and then the taxi broke down two blocks away." She giggled. "At least I didn't have to pay him since it was raining and all."

Takashi smiled at the girl who he loved more than anything.

"So why don't you take my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch," he said, heading towards the door.

Chiharu's eyes grew wide as she grabbed on to his hand to make him stop in his tracks.

"Please don't," she said, her voice quivering. "I've felt so alone these last few days. I trust you. You're my best friend, and I don't want to be alone any longer."

Takashi wrapped his arms around Chiharu, and hugged her the same way as he did all those weeks ago before she left. He unconsciously began to run his fingers through her rich brown hair. Chiharu smiled to herself as she took in his scent of Manju Shages. She then rested her head on Takashi's shoulder, feeling more than safe in her secret love's protective arms.

~*~(The Next Morning)~*~

The sunbeams caressed Chiharu's face as she awoke to the masculine and familiar scent of a specific red flower. Thinking it was part of a dream, she kept her eyes closed to hold on to the fragrance that belonged to the person who she was thinking of. As she was becoming more and more aware of her senses, she was able to realize that she was wrapped in someone's arms. Her eyes snapped opened, and she saw a peaceful Takashi sleeping next to her. Events of last night replayed in her mind. She still couldn't believe that she woke up next to him.

'So I guess this is how it feels like if I were to marry him...'

She smiled to herself, taking her time to dismiss the thought from her head. Takashi was so handsome. He could have had any girl he chose. Why would he ever pick her?

Takashi was beginning to wake up himself. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was still dreaming when he realized his beloved angel was nestled in his arms.

"Good morning, Takashi," said Chiharu as she was getting up.

"Good morning my little Freesia flower," replied Takashi without even noticing what he said until it was too late, and blushed.

"Chiharu smiled warmly to show him that she accepted the pet name. Inside, she was glowing. It made her feel closer to him, even though sometimes she felt as if she wasn't close enough.

"So what would you like to do today?" asked Takashi as he was rustling through the draws to find clothes for the two of them.

Chiharu giggled as Takashi tossed her one of his small yellow shirt and a pair of shorts in a way so that they landed on the top of her head.

"You mean aside from waiting for my parents to come?" she asked with a smirk as she removed the articles of clothing from her head. "I think I need to buy myself a new outfit!"

After they both got changed Takashi sat on his bed, entranced with the sight of Chiharu brushing her hair in front of the mirror. When it came time to tie her ribbons, she sighed at the fact that she was missing one. Then she saw Takashi's reflection standing behind her. Once she turned around, she softy gasped at the two yellow ribbons in Takashi's hands.

"F-For me?" she stuttered.

"Yeah," he answered. "I saw them at the store, and it made me think of you. So I bought them for the next time that I saw you.

Chiharu smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Put them on for me?" she asked shyly.

Takashi grinned at the thought of his hands brushing against her silky hair.

"Whatever you want, Chiharu. Whatever you want."

~*~(The Park)~*~

Chiharu was enjoying every minute of her spontaneous trip to Tomoeda. There was nothing she liked more than being along side Takashi. Still, it looked as if Takashi was struggling to tell her something, but a part of him was holding him back.

"Say Chiharu," Takashi said slowly. "Did you know thar when a guy kisses a girl in different spots, it sends specific messages?

Chiharu rolled her eyes, and realized that this was the first lie that he was telling since she got back. However, even though she hated to admit it, she thought his stories were entertaining because they were so unpredictable. That's why she decided not to strangle him. At least not yet.

"Go ahead, Takashi," she said in a mocked exasperated tone. "Enlighten me."

Takashi cleared his throat, ready to do what he loved to do best. Nonetheless, he was a bit disappointed when he didn't get her usual reaction. One of the reasons why he told his stories was so he could feel Chiharu's long and slender fingers around his neck. Even though it may look that she was strangling him, her grip was always soft and gentle, never wanting to hurt him intentionally.

"Well, when a guy only kisses a girl on the forehead, that means that means that she's someone that he'll care about, and watch over, but nothing more. In a way, he sees her like a child. When a guy only kisses a girl on her cheek, that means that he's just her friend, and he'll do it if he hasn't seen her in a long time, or if he's saying goodbye.

Chiharu smiled at Takashi. She was having fun seeing him talk about something so...intimate.

"Then," he continued, felling surprised that he still had his unknown love's attention, "when a guy kisses a girl on the hand, he's being old fashioned in a charming way as if he wants to be the girl's knight in shinning armour. Finally, a kiss on the neck is the best place for a guy to kiss a girl because if she lets him, that means that he's falling in love with her, and he hopes that her feeling are the same."

The seventeen-year-old girl closed her eyes to take in all the information. Was this actually true? Or was it one of his stories that were purposely bringing them closer together? Whatever he was doing, it was working. She didn't notice the effects until she heard herself say:

"Where would you kiss me?"

Takashi was taken by surprise with her question. He had no idea his story would lead to this. Well, it wasn't just a story. He gathered everything from observing the couples around him, hoping that it would come in handy. That time has come as he was looking at Chiharu standing in front of him, with her hands balled together, resting right under her throat. She looked so innocent and pure. His lips tingled at the thought of embracing her soft lips.

Without saying a word, Takashi slowly wrapped his arms around Chiharu, being careful not to make her nervous. Unable to fight the urge of feeling her hair on his skin, he softly nuzzled her temple, taking in her scent. Chiharu sighed happily, and stepped even deeper in Takashi's protective arms. Takashi began to lower his head down, eyes half closed, and fixed on its destination. Once his lips touched her neck, Chiharu softly gasped as she got his message. Both teens were discovering that nothing felt more right. Takashi's kiss was all Chiharu could have ever asked for, and more. It was gentle, yet bold, promising, and caring. Takashi pulled back, and Chiharu was already missing his warmth. So she wrapped her arms around his torso to keep him close, and whispered in his ear:

"What does it mean when someone gets a kiss on the lips?"

Takashi smiled, and whispered back, "Why don't you tell me?"

Chiharu breathed in his masculine scent of Manju Shages as she gave his question some thought. As soon as she came up with an answer, she pulled back enough to look in his sparking eyes, but still stayed in his arms.

"When a girl kisses a guy on the lips, that means she cares about him a lot. She wants to be his friend, and more. She wants herself to be seen as the princess that her knight will always fight for. She's fallen in love with him, and a kiss on the lips is her way of sending the message."

Takashi was shocked. She actually paid attention to his story, and used its information to tell her own. But the girl in his arms wasn't just a story. She was real, and she was leaning forward to kiss him. He let out a content sigh as he met her lips with his own. Both people couldn't of been happier. They were together, and although no words were exchanged, they knew that they were in love. Everything was said in the kiss.

While the couple were still in their embrace, a glowing object emerged away from them without being noticed, and headed towards its destination.

~*~(Sakura's House)~*~

Sakura was sitting on the couch, listening to the conversation that her father was having with the Miharas. Chiharu ran away, but only to come back to her home. Her parents realized how much Tomorda meant to their daughter, so Mihara-san spoke to his boss, and was able to get a transfer.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" asked Syaoran as he was walking towards her with some lemonade.

Sakura smiled at him as she took a glass.

"Chiharu and Takashi should be together by now," she said. "I'm just wondering where the card is."

That was when a familiar rectangular shaped object entered the room, and took the form of a fairy with translucent wings. She had a delicate figure, and her long, light brown hair tumbled down her back. She wore a flowery green dress, which flowed past her ankles.

"My name is the Unite Card," the spirit said in a melodic voice. "It was about time those two got together! Anyway, here's your next clue:

YOUR FRIEND HAS MADE THE WRONG DECISION,  
SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO CLEAR HER VISION.  
HER ADMIRER'S COURAGE SHOULD BE RAISED,  
OR ELSE HE'LL FOREVER BE TIMID AND DAZED.

Before even bothering to figure out what the clue could mean, she quickly captured the card before the adults came in. As soon as the card was sealed, the doorbell rang.

"Chiharu!" her mother cried, wasting no time to give her daughter a hug. "We're moving back to Tomoeda, so you'll never have to run away again."

Chiharu hugged her mother, regretting the pain that she caused her parents. Still, she was glad that she did it, because her heart now belonged to her only love, Takashi.

Mihara-san came, and put his hand on Takashi's shoulder.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter," he said softly. "You must love her a lot for her to come to you."

Takashi grinned. He was lucky enough to receive Chiharu's love, and he knew that he'd treasure it preciously.

When Chiharu let go of her mother, she hugged her father. Then she went straight to Takashi.

"We're together," she whispered with a smile.

"Together forever," answered Takashi, as he lowered his head to give her a kiss.


	6. A Different Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In fanfic vernacular, there is a trope called a Mary Sue. In short, it's an original character who is practically perfect in every way because the author is inserting themselves in the story so the Mary Sue could never do no wrong. When I created Kai, he was a shy and nervous character who had no faith in himself. It wasn't until a reviewer commented on his low self-esteem that I realized that I was writing about myself. Thankfully I grew as a person since 2002 and I feel more assured, but sometimes I still have my moments.

Chapter 6: A Different Perspective

~*~*~*~*~

It was the last day of summer vacation. All signs of autumn's arrival were here. Temperatures dropping, leaves changing, students grumbling about having to go back to school where hard work will be waiting for them. All students, except for one girl with short dark red hair and profound eyed, which held the wisdom that went past her seventeen years of age.

Sasaki Rika couldn't wait to go back to school. Unlike her comrades, she counted the days to when school would start instead of how many days until the summer would, unfortunately, come to an end. In many ways, she was like her friends in the area of having hopes and dreams for the future. Still, there was something that set her apart from the others...she was in love with their teacher.

~*~(Seijou High)~*~

It was the first day of school. Everyone was bustling about, greeting people whom they haven't seen for months. Rika went straight to her desk; good-naturedly waiting for the one she loved to arrive. Meanwhile, she observed her surroundings.

Kinomoto Sakura was sitting on top of her desk, talking quietly to Li Syaoran who was standing in front of her with his arms casually, yet protectively, around her waist. Sometimes, it surprised Rika to see how much love was shared between the two. Didn't he give her death glares the first time he saw her? Well, their relationship probably had to do with the reason why they would always go running off together. Rika didn't know what they were doing, but she didn't pry, because she knew that she wouldn't like anyone looking into her own personal life.

Then there was Hiiragizawa Eriol who was caressing the face of a giggling Daidouji Tomoyo. Rika always thought her amethyst-eyed friend didn't like Eriol, and maybe even afraid of him. She had to admit; the discreet teen with sapphire eyes did smile too much for his own good. What was he hiding? Could somebody be that happy of a person? Whatever it was, Tomoyo must of let down her shield at one point over the summer, because the two looked even closer than Syaoran and Sakura themselves...if that was possible.

Rika's gaze then travelled to Yamazaki Takashi and Mihara Chiharu. Rika was surprised to see Chiharu since her long time friend moved away a while back ago. She came back to Tomoeda, and when Rika asked why, Chiharu gave Takashi a loving look, and she told her that her heart belonged here.

Five more minutes before class began. Rika was beginning to get impatient, but she kept her comportment. She waited two months— five minutes wasn't going to kill her. All of a sudden, Rika had the feeling that she was being watched. She quickly turned her hear to the left, only to catch a glimpse of a dark head of hair turning to face the front as fast as he could. Rika smirked. Was her classmate actually looking at her? She couldn't tell. She only had eyes for one man, and he was making his way through the door that very moment.

"Good morning, class, and welcome to another wonderful year at Seijou High," said Terada-sensei cheerfully. Just as he expected, he received an unenergetic groan in return.

The teacher looked at his class fondly. He had taught them ever since they were ten, and his heart stayed within the personalities of his students. He came to appreciate Sakura's kindness towards all, Syaoran's quiet and reserved manor, Tomoyo's imp-like qualities, Eriol's secrecy, Takashi's lies and ability to spin tall tales on the spot, and Chiharu's power to control the stories before they caused chaos. Then there was Rika. He knew she felt something for him. He could see it every time she looked in his eyes. Still, the teacher never had the heart to tell her that her feelings would not take her anywhere. He knew that her father was always away on business, and Rika needed a male figure in her life. Naturally, she chose him, but he knew that he couldn't be the one who belonged in her heart. He was already in love with another...

~*~(School Yard)~*~

Just like any other day, the first day of school came to an end. The teen with the black hair couldn't have been more embarrassed. He had fallen in love with the red haired beauty. All he wanted to do was steal a glance at her before class started. There was no way that he could have expected that she was going to look in his direction.

But Rika did turn her head, and found him gazing. Ishikawa Kai had always admired her from afar. She seemed so mature, and she had a certain way of presenting herself. As if she was always trying to get someone's love.

Kai sadly smiled at himself. Rika would never have to work for his love because she already had it. Nonetheless was his love something that she'd ever want? He was too shy to even go up to even go up to talk to her, let alone ask her a question that he kept very close to his heart.

~*~(Picnic Tables)~*~

"Syaoran! It's been two weeks and we haven't gotten any closer to finding the next card!" complained Sakura.

"Don't worry, Sakura," Syaoran said gently. "If we could catch the first five cards, this one shouldn't be any different."

"Since it's been so long, it probably has to deal with people at school," suggested Chiharu, who knew all about Sakura, Syaoran and Eriol's magical skills since the group thought it was only fair that she should be part of the secret too.

"You and Syaoran created these cards out of the power of your love," Tomoyo began saying to her best friend. "A certain card seems to be looking out for someone who made a wrong choice, and someone who likes her, but he's too shy."

The group looked around. Yanagisawa Naoko had her nose buried in a book. She didn't seem to be having any problems. Takahashi Rei was spending her spare time working on her sprinting. She had no time for relationship problems, because she was also taking care of her dog, Hoppy. Then there was Rika, sitting all by herself, staring dreamily at...

Sakura gasped at her new discovery as she covered her mouth in shock.

"Rika's in love with Terada-sensei!"

Everyone around his or her was just as surprised as she was. But as they thought about it, the more it made sense. Rika had feelings for their long time teacher, and it would only end up with her getting hurt.

"You know, Ishikawa Kai really likes Rika, and that's no lie," said Takashi. "It's just that he doesn't have enough courage, and all he does is look at her because he feels as if she would never like someone like him."

"Okay everybody," said Eriol in a spirited voice. "It's encouragement time. If we don't act fast, Rika will be suffering from a broken heart, and then we'll never be able to get the next card."

Sakura knew that she and her friends had to be quick. Magic waits for no one.

~*~(Near the trees)~*~

This was her chance. Rika was ready to approach her long time love, and tell him her feelings with her heart in her hands. Sensei looked so handsome standing along side a cherry blossom tree whose petals were slowly starting to fall. His spiked hair gave him a boyish look, while his face showed all the signs of maturity and adulthood. There was no other person Rika wanted to love more. She was sure that he felt the same way. All of her conversations with him made her believe that he deeply cared about her well-being. She thought it was about time she revealed her feelings. However, right before Rika was able to get close enough to her teacher, another women beat her to him. The women older than Rika had long blond hair and clear blue eyes. Rika saw how 's face lit up when he saw the woman. She saw how he drew her in his arms to give her a kiss. Finally, to her horror, Rika saw the man she loved go down on his knee to propose to the one he loved. The teen saw enough, as she turned to run away with tears flowing down her face.

The pain was indescribable. It felt like someone stabbing her tender heart over and over again. She felt weak, unloved, and oh, so alone. Why did she ever have to fall in love? It only leads to pain and suffering in the long run. Love was useless. What else does it lead to? Marriage and business trips so people won't even be together? Love is a weakness; something that makes all shields go down, and makes anyone vulnerable to the hard knocks of life. Rika made a decision. She would never fall under love's powerful spell ever again.

~*~(School Yard)~*~

Kai couldn't believe his eyes. Beyond the fences, he saw something that shocked him. His beloved Rika was crying tears of emotional pain. Who could have done such a thing to someone so innocent? As he watched, he saw Sakura, Tomoyo and Chiharu doing their best to comfort their friend. But Rika just ran away, probably not wanting to be around people who already had love in their lives.

The ebony haired teen's heart went out to poor Rika. Nevertheless, what can he do? All of a sudden, Kai felt a strong hand resting on his shoulder.

"It pains the heart to see a girl that way, doesn't it?" asked the voice behind him.

Kai turned to see who was speaking to him. It was Syaoran, who was accompanied with Eriol and Takashi.

"But what can I do?" Kai questioned. "I might do something in front of her that I'll really be embarrassed about! What if I do something that would make her feel worse? What if..."

"There's no point to jumping to conclusions if you don't take a chance!" added Eriol. "You'll never know until you try!"

Kai smiled at his three classmates who put enough light on the situation for it to make sense.

"You guys are right," said Kai with a new burst of confidence. "There's no point to stay in the shadows. I'm going to talk to Rika, and I'll just hope for the best!"

Syaoran, Eriol and Takashi watched Kai walk away with a smile on his face, and a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"It looks as if you guys had better luck with Kai than we did with Rika," said Sakura's sweet voice from behind them.

The trio turned around, and they all smiled at their girlfriends.

Syaoran drew Sakura in his arms, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"We managed to get Kai over his shyness," he informed the girls.

Tomoyo went to Eriol to wrap her arms around his waist, and to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Rika was so upset," she said sadly. "We had no idea how much in love she was with Terada-sensei.

Takashi turned Chiharu around to wrap his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on top of her head.

"At least we got Kai going in the right direction," Takashi murmured, half of himself lost in the scent of Chiharu's hair.

Chiharu giggled with Takashi's actions. "Rika is going to need someone who can be a pillar of support for her," she said. "Kai is perfect because he isn't in any relationship and he's nice enough of a person to ease her pain."

~*~(Near the trees)~*~

Rika was huddled under another cherry blossom tree with her knees brought up to her chest, and her arms around her legs. A never-ending supply of tears was still streaming down her face. Sakura, Tomoyo, and Chiharu tried to talk to her, but the red head didn't want to hear any of it. They already had boyfriends, and the powers of love were kind to them. What did she have? All she had was a broken heart.

Kai was getting closer to his weeping secret love. With a bouquet of wild daisies in his hand, he was getting ready to talk to her.

'No turning back now,' Kai thought to himself.

The black haired teen cleared his throat. Rika looked up, and gave him a confused look.

'Why would any guy ever want to talk to me now?' she mentally pondered.

"Um...these are for you," Kai shyly said, handing Rika the flowers that seemed to suit her so well. "I...uh...thought they could cheer you up."

Rika blushed, and weakly smiled at the boy who was being so nice to her even if he didn't have to.

"Gosh, thanks Kai..." she began. "That was so thoughtful of you. Have a seat?"

Kai saw the hopefulness in Rika's deep eyes, and silently sat next to her.

"I guess you want to know why I'm crying like a baby," Rika said in a strained voice, forcing out a weak laugh.

The teen frowned, as he said, "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

Rika softly smiled at his caring qualities. At first, she saw Kai as just another classmate. Now she's discovering a whole new side to the teen. He was so compassionate, and he seemed trustworthy.

"Please Kai. I'd like to at least get some of it off my chest," insisted Rika. "You see, I'm... well... suffering from a broken heart."

With those words, she burst into a new batch of tears.

There was only one thing Kai wanted to do at the moment. Even though he debated whether or not to follow he instincts, Rika's tears moved him in ways that he'd never imagined. Slowly, giving Rika plenty of warning before hand, Kai wrapped his arms around Rika, and she let herself be held. Slowly, as she was letting her guards down, she was able to take in Kai's warmth, and she found herself healing from the pain. To Rika's surprise, all that hurt before was slipping away as Kai's arms were protecting her from harm.

"Thanks, Kai," Rika whispered as her tears were coming to an end. "You really helped me get through this. I thought I wasn't going to be able to trust another guy again. But then you showed up, and somehow, you made things better again."

"I couldn't stand it to see you crying," Kai confessed quietly. "Say Rika...what do think of the idea of the idea of the two of us becoming friends?"

Rika gave Kai her first real smile ever since her heart underwent the emotional torture.

"I like the idea a lot, Kai," she admitted. "I'm glad you brought it up. I feel so much better now that you're here with me. I'd love to be your friend."

With those words spoken, a card discreetly slipped away, going full speed ahead towards its creators.

~*~(Syaoran's House)~*~

Syaoran was helping Sakura out with her math homework when a card slipped under the door, and changed into its free form. The spirit was shaped in the type of a motherly figure who wanted to fix problems and make things better. Her eyes were silent, and it looked as if she was ready to listen to anyone's thoughts or worries. Her arms were strong, yet gentle, and they seemed perfect to wrap anyone in a hug if they ever were to need it.

"Hello, my name is the Heal Card," introduced the spirit. "I knew Rika was going to have a rough time accepting the fact that the person she loved was in a relationship. To make the transition as smooth as possible, I needed someone who cares for her deeply, so I could channel my power through him. Kai was the best candidate, but he wouldn't have been capable to help Rika until he got over his shyness. You have all done well, my children, and I am very much proud of you. Now, before I am sealed, I leave you with this clue to help everyone for the next quest:

NOW YOUR NEW ADVENTURE WILL BE MUCH TROUBLE,

THE CAPTURE LIES WITH THE WORK OF A DOUBLE.

SO THE CARDS YOU POSSESS SHOULD BE OF USE,

THE NEXT SPIRIT ISN'T FRIENDLY WHEN LOOSE.

"Thank you very much," Sakura said humbly. "We appreciate your confidence."

The Heal Card gave her masters one last smile before she was sealed.

"See I told you that there was no need to worry!" Syaoran teased.

"Oh, be quiet, you!" answered Sakura as she pretended to push him, but only brought him closer instead. "What would I do without you?"

Syaoran looked deeply in Sakura's emerald eyes, and seriously said, "I think you'd go crazy."

"Syaoran!" Sakura said in a surprised tone.

Before she was able to say anything else, Syaoran pulled her close, and ended the discussion with a long, soothing kiss.


	7. Pains of Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only thing I remember about this chapter is that I really didn't enjoy writing it but it did give birth to a new spirit who was definitely different from the others!

Chapter 7: Pains of Misunderstanding

~*~*~*~*~

September was moving itself along, and Daidouji Tomoyo was trying to find the perfect present for her boyfriend because their three-month anniversary was coming up soon. She smiled at all the memories that she and Eriol made since they were together. She was glad that she could have a boyfriend that she could trust. Walking down the street, Tomoyo saw kids playing in front of the toy store, two elderly men playing checkers in front of the corner store, her friend Naoko laughing in Eriol's arms in front of the bookstore...

Tomoyo stopped in her tracks with the sight in front of her. Eriol was cheating on her? He had a girl in his arms that wasn't her. How could he do this? Look at him, just laughing away as if he didn't love anybody else. Tomoyo saw enough. Doing her best to ignore the sharp pain of what seemed like being stabbed in the heart, she turned around to run away, looking for someone to help her hurt Eriol the same way he hurt her.

~*~(Bookstore)~*~

Hiiragizawa Eriol was walking along, hoping that he wouldn't run into Tomoyo any time soon. There was something that he needed to do, and everything would go wrong if she knew anything about it. All of a sudden, something caught he eye, and Eriol turned his head. It was just this girl making out with some guy. There was something familiar about this girl, though. Her height, her hair, her clothes...wait that girl was Tomoyo, and she was kissing someone else!

Eriol was so angry, that he was only seeing red. He stormed up to the guy who was obviously taking advantage of his sweet girlfriend, and ripped him away from Tomoyo. Once they were separated, Eriol punched the jerk unmercifully in his face. He guy ran away like the coward he was.

"Why did you do that for?" yelled Tomoyo in an annoyed voice. "Are you trying to ruin all my fun?"

Eriol was confused, but then he realized that Tomoyo wasn't as innocent as she seemed.

"I was only trying to look out for my girlfriend, but it looks as if she could take care of herself!" Eriol yelled back.

Tomoyo couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew better than to believe that Eriol saw her as his girlfriend. She decided that this charade was going to end now.

"At this point, I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" Tomoyo screamed in a bitter voice.

"Fine!" Eriol answered. "From this moment, we're through!

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she responded coldly before turning around, and running away with stubborn tears rolling down her cheeks, despite her efforts to stop them.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

"I'm telling you Syaoran, I don't like what's going on at all."

Sakura sighed as she plopped on her bed with the phone, waiting for her boyfriend's response.

"I know what you mean, Sakura," Syaoran answered softy, trying to bring her spirits up. "All we have to do is figure out which cards to use to fix this mess."

Sakura sighed. She called Syaoran as soon as she finished talking to Tomoyo. She wasn't too happy with the fight her best friend got in with Eriol. The card that's on the loose didn't sound very nice, and it had to be caught before it tore up another couple.

"What about the Cuddle Card?" suggested Sakura. "I mean, it brought them together before. Maybe it could work again."

"It's worth a try," answered Syaoran. "I'll be right over."

They both hung up, and Sakura went to get the new cards that she and Syaoran created using their love. As soon as she got down stairs, the doorbell rang, and Sakura opened the door for Syaoran.

"Are you ready?" Syaoran asked with nothing but love shining through his eyes.

"The sooner we start this, the sooner we get this over with," she answered with a weak smile.

Syaoran could see how much pain Sakura was feeling for her best friend.

"Oh Syaoran," Sakura said with tears welling in her spring green eyes. "What if the card comes after us next? I don't want to lose you."

The teen took his girlfriend in his arms, and held on to her tight.

"Nothing is ever going to break us apart, my love," he murmured. "Please don't ever forget that."

Sakura looked up, and leaned forward to kiss his waiting lips. "I won't," she whispered with a smile.

Syaoran kissed both of her eyes to kiss away any remaining tears. They had important work to do.

~*~(Eriol's house)~*~

Eriol was back in his dark room, planning his return to England. With Tomoyo mad at him, there was no reason to stay in Tomoeda. He was half of the reincarnation of the all mighty Clow Reed. He didn't need some girl to make him happy. Those stunning amethyst eyes did nothing to him...

Oh, who was he kidding? Definitely not himself. Nonetheless, Tomoyo didn't seem to want to be with him anymore. Maybe he should go talk to her. Before he left his room, the thought of Tomoyo kissing another guy came back to him, and the feeling of anger flooded through his system once more.

'No,' he thought to himself. 'I will not go running back to her. She doesn't deserve a second chance.'

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

There she stood, just as adorable from when they captured her the first time. Her hair was just as golden, and her crystal clear blue eyes were just as brilliant. Except this time the Cuddle Card refused to cooperate.

"Are you sure you can't do anything to help us?" Sakura asked the card in a pleading voice.

The little spirit shook her head, causing her curls to swing to and fro to her delight. Syaoran crouched down to meet Cuddle's eye level.

"Can you tell me why?" he asked softly. The spirit smiled in acceptance. She looked both ways, and whispered something in Syaoran's ear. Once she was finished, the teen got up, and signalled to his girlfriend that Cuddle was ready to go back in her card form. Once Sakura sealed the card, she gave Syaoran a grin.

"You know Syaoran, you'd make a pretty good father," Sakura said truthfully, getting the expected blush from Syaoran. "So what did our little spirit tell you?"

"Well, she told me that she was to 'scawed', if you get what I mean," he answered with a smirk.

Sakura giggled as she sat on the couch. "Oh, the poor thing, being scared and all. So I guess we're going to need another card."

"You got any ideas?" Syaoran asked as he lay down on the couch, resting his head comfortably on Sakura's lap. "What about the Rendezvous?"

"Nah, that wouldn't work," Sakura answered, absentmindedly running her fingers through Syaoran's messy hair. "Hey, what about the Unite Card?"

"Syaoran looked up. "It's worth a try."

~*~(Tomoyo's house)~*~

The tears never seemed to stop falling down Tomoyo's pale cheeks. What was happening? She wasn't supposed to be upset. If Eriol was going to cheat on her with someone who she thought was her friend, so be it. He's a reincarnation of Clow. He could do what ever he wanted; Tomoyo wasn't going to stop him.

'Maybe I could at least talk to him before I make up my mind,' she thought to herself.

She started to walk towards the door when the scene of Naoko laughing in Eriol's arms flashed through her head. Amethyst eyes that were usually warm and friendly turned icy cold, and Tomoyo made the decision to stay as she was without bothering someone who she thought loved her.

~*~(Sakura's house)~*~

"Sure, I'd love to help you," the Unite Card said happily. "Just remember, even though I can bring your friends back together physically, I can't change any feelings inside."

Sakura and Syaoran simultaneously sighed in relief. They were actually getting somewhere!

"No problem," Sakura said in a thankful tone. "We were told that we had to use two cards for this capture."

"We appreciate all your help," added Syaoran. "Would you have any ideas on what the other card could be?"

Unite raised her hazel eyes to the ceiling as she went in deep thought. Then she said, "All I can tell you is that there's only one card that you could use. This card is willing to lend a hand to mend any lover's spat. This card is also the only card that could control the card that's on the loose."

The card captors were mulling over the new information in their heads, when they both figured out which card to use. That was when the phone rang, and Sakura left to go answer it.

"Hello?" she began. "Oh hi Eriol...WHAT? ...You're at the AIRPORT? ... You're going back to ENGLAND? Wait right there!"

"Come on," said Sakura, grabbing her coat and tossing Syaoran's his. "We have no time to lose!"

Syaoran caught his coat, and told the Untie Card to bring Tomoyo at the airport right away. The spirit left in a flash, and Sakura and Syaoran were not too far behind.

~*~(Airport)~*~

Eriol waited impatiently for his friends to arrive. He didn't want to miss his flight, even though he promised Sakura that he would wait for her and Syaoran. He scanned the area, looking for a familiar face or two. Finally his gaze rested on a clearing, and while he was wondering why such an empty space was so alluring, a white light flashed before him. Just before Eriol closed his eyes as a reflex, he was able to notice the flow of a green dress that a spirit with brown hair was wearing. Once his eyes adjusted to the surroundings, Eriol only saw one thing that mattered the most to him.

Daidouji Tomoyo, his only love for now and ever.

Suddenly, all the thoughts of her kissing someone else were pushed aside, and Eriol was willing to listen for an explanation. Surely, there must be one. He felt all the walls around him go down one by one with every step he took to get closer to the one he loved.

Tomoyo was dazed and confused. One moment, she was in her room. Then all of a sudden, she had a strong urge to see Eriol, despite what had happened earlier. With those feelings at hand, she felt a gust of wind that made her close her eyes involuntary. Once she reopened her eyes, she found herself in an airport...with Eriol walking towards her.

Without thinking, Tomoyo ran straight into Eriol's waiting arms. Once she felt safe enough, she bursted into tears.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. "But when I saw Naoko laughing in your arms, I didn't know what else to do."

Eriol was confused for a moment, but once he racked through his memories, the incident came back to him.

"Oh Tomoyo," he murmured in her hair. "Naoko just tripped, and I caught her before she fell down. Nothing more than that."

"Then why did it look like so much more?" she asked.

Eriol closed his eyes, and let his senses wander. Then at the very edge of his magical barrier, he felt the presence of a dark spirit, and a light one. Eriol sighed with the information he gathered.

"One of the new cards are playing around with our feelings," he informed. "But Sakura and Syaoran caught on, and they sent out some cards to fix this mess."

"Eriol, I was so scared that I lost you," Tomoyo said, her face buried in Eriol's shirt.

"Me too," confessed Eriol in a strangled voice.

Tomoyo's head shot up. Since when was Eriol afraid of anything? With his powers, he was able to do almost everything.

"I didn't know what I'd do if I would have never had the chance to hold you in my arms again," he continued. "I realized that you're the light in my life that makes everything brighter."

"Then for now on, when ever something confuses me, I'll go straight to you instead of assuming the worst," promised Tomoyo.

"And I, you," answered Eriol as he bent his head down for a much missed kiss.

Once their promise was sealed, two cards departed from the couple, and floated towards their creators who were standing behind the wall.

"I can't believe we picked the right cards," Sakura said softly as both cards changed into their spirit form.

In the end, it was the Heal Card that had to be used. There was no other card in the deck that would of pushed Tomoyo and Eriol far enough away from their suspicions from each other to talk. The Heal Card took her motherly form, and she had a stern expression on her face as she looked at the second spirit.

"Young man, you should be ashamed of yourself," she said with her hands on her hips.

The new spirit was a teenager dressed in a leather jacket, and had an expression in his eyes that defined trouble.

"Aw, I was jus' havin' a little fun," he answered. He looked towards Sakura and Syaoran, with a sly smile, he said, "The name's Argument if y'all wanna know."

Sakura sighed, and waited for the next clue. It never came.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Syaoran who was waiting as well.

"Oh, that right, I'm supposed to give you a clue," Argument said slowly. "Well, y'all ain't gettin' it, 'cause I ain't recitin' some stupid poem!"

With those words, the Argument spirit transformed itself in his card form, and slipped in Sakura's hand.

"Don't worry, sweetie," the Heal soothed. "All you need to know is that the next card you capture will be your last. It will also be a card that affects all the lovers that are destined to be together."

Sakura smiled brilliantly at the Heal with the new knowledge that her and Syaoran's journey will soon be complete. She quickly sealed the card, and then turned to Syaoran.

"Can you believe that?" she asked, emerald eyes sparkling. "We're almost finished capturing all the cards!"

Syaoran returned the smile, and wrapped his arms around her, not wanting to let go.

"You do know what that means," he said softly.

"Why don't you tell me," answered Sakura, who had no idea what her boyfriend was talking about.

Syaoran lowered his head until his mouth was beside Sakura's ear, and murmured, "I get to spend more time alone with you."

Sakura blushed deeply as she made no effort to wipe away her smile. She was with the one she loved, and nothing else mattered.


	8. Confessions of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was the first time through out my whole re-read that I had absolutely no recollection of a chapter before revisiting it. And while I was able to make some predictions on what was going to happen while I was reading it, there were still some scenes that caught me off guard and made me feel like I was reading them for the first time!

Chapter 8: Confessions of Love

~*~*~*~*~

It was another crisp morning in Toemoda, and Ishikawa Kai couldn't be happier with all the changes that occurred ever since that fateful first day of school. Who would of known that the girl he admired the most would become such a good friend? Yes, that's right. Although there was nothing more, at least there was nothing less. Kai was very grateful for any kind of relationship with Sasaki Rika. The poor girl lost all her trust in love two months ago. There was no way Kai was going to let anyone hurt her, even if it would also mean himself.

~*~(Classroom)~*~

"So did he ask you out yet?" Mihara Chiharu asked her friend.

Rika let out a sigh, and said, "No, not yet."

Chiharu laughed. Poor Rika. It has already been two months since Kai and Rika became friends. Her friend felt closer to the teen who comforted her with every passing day. Rika is just waiting to see if Kai felt the same way.

"Well, we all know how shy he is," Chiharu began. "Maybe you should make the first move."

Rika raised her eyebrows. "And how would I do that?" she asked.

"Simple," answered Chiharu while adjusting one of her ribbons. "Ask him out on a date. The new coffee house across the street seems perfect."

The redhead mulled over the thought for a while and then she gave Chiharu a smile.

"That's perfect!" she exclaimed. "Now, what about your problem?"

Chiharu blushed, and focused on a fascinating spot on the floor.

"Oh, that's not a big problem," she mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" answered Rika. "You love Takashi so why don't you just tell him? For goodness sake, you ran away from home just to see him!"

"Rika, sometimes in a relationship those three little words could break a couple up!" cried out Chiharu. "Maybe he isn't ready for a commitment, and telling him that I love him could scare him away."

Rika placed her hand on Chiharu's shoulder.

"Do you regret being his friend when we were kids?" she asked.

"No." Chiharu answered.

"Do you regret spending your birthday money for the ticket to Tomoeda?"

"No! That was the best thing I ever bought!"

Rika raised her eyebrows and she didn't have to ask another question for Chiharu to get the message.

"Fine," Chiharu said. "I'll do it after school."

Yamazaki Takashi walked in the classroom, and he noticed that his girlfriend was having a deep discussion with Rika.

'Maybe I'll talk to someone else in the mean time,' he thought to himself.

He scanned the room and found Kai not doing anything except gazing adoringly at the one girl who made him fall head over heels in love. Silently, he walked up to his newest friend.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask her out, you know," Takashi said gently.

Kai turned his head, and gave Takashi a sad smile.

"Sure it would," he began. "The first time I spoke to Rika, she was crying her eyes out from a broken heart all because of some jerk. What if she's not ready to open her heart yet? She has her whole life ahead of her. There's no reason why she should choose a guy like me."

"I don't know what you're talking about Kai," answered Takashi. "It sounds to me that you'd be the perfect guy for Rika. You care about her a lot, and there's no denying it."

Kai knew Takashi was right as he thought back to something that happened about a month ago...

* October *

It was lunchtime, and Kai was getting his lunch when he heard a disappointed groan a few feet away from him.

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot my lunch," Rika said out loud to no one in particular. "Just when I'm dying of hunger too!"

Kai wasted no time to go to Rika's locker.

"Hi Rika," he said. "I noticed you didn't have your lunch. Would you like to have some of mine?"

"Hey Kai", Rika began in a surprised tone. "Don't worry, you don't have to go through all that trouble just for me. I'll be okay."

That was when her stomach protested by giving a rather loud grumble, and Rika's face turned red in no time at all.

'Well, maybe I could have something to eat," she mumbled.

Kai opened his lunch bag, and started going through it.

"What are you doing?" Rika asked with her head tilted to the side.

Kai looked up and said, "I'm giving you some of my lunch."

Rika smiled at his kind gestures and felt as if she should give him something in return.

"Why don't we have lunch together?" she suggested. "That way, while you give me some of your food, I'll keep you company."

Kai grinned and blushed at the same time. Life couldn't get any better.

* End of Flashback *

Kai smiled at himself as he reflected on the memory. Ever since that day, he and Rika ate lunch together at least twice a week.

"Why don't you just tell her that you like her, and get it over with?" asked Takashi. "Life's full of chances, and sometimes you just have to trust yourself to take them. Did you know that chances began with the man who invented the lottery? One day, he got bored so he told his friends to pick numbers, and then he put the numbers that were written on paper in his shoe. After shaking it up, he would dump everything out, and the reward was based on the order that the numbers came out in. Except one day-"

"Lies, lies, I tell you! They're all lies!" said Chiharu in a mocked angry voice as she wrapped her fingers delicately around Takashi's throat, and shook it lightly. "Where's my mallet when I need it?"

As usual, Takashi exaggerated his movements as he swayed back and forth, and pretended that he was choking.

"I think you forgot it in Odaiba, my dear," he said once the show was over.

"Then I think I should go back and get it," Chiharu replied smoothly turning around in the process.

"Oh no you don't," said Takashi as he leaned forward and brought Chiharu in front of him by wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're not going anywhere."

Chiharu giggled as she turned to wrap her arms around his neck, and nuzzled his jaw to take in his masculine scent of Manju Sages.

"Yes I am," she said seriously. "Class is going to start soon, and I'm not assigned to sit in your arms."

Takashi grinned and seductively murmured, "That could be arranged after school hours."

Chiharu giggled again as she swatted Takashi's shoulder.

"Bad boy," she mumbled, and then she let out a little yelp when Takashi lightly nipped her ear.

"Bad girl," he whispered back.

Kai rolled his eyes with the amount of affection his friends were displaying. Then he noticed Rika looking at Chiharu and Takashi. Kai caught Rika's eye, and then he rolled his eyes again, motioning to the couple. Rika couldn't help herself but laugh, and Kai was more than pleased to hear his crush's tinkering laughter as reward. Takashi was right. He had to take a chance. He didn't know when, but he had a feeling that he would know when the time was right.

~*~(After School)~*~

Kai was at his locker preparing his things to bring home for the weekend.

"Hey Kai," a melodic voice greeted him. Kai didn't even have to lift up his head to see who was talking to him. "Are you doing anything after school?"

Kai gazed into Rika's sparkling eyes, which always seemed to mesmerize him.

"No. It's surprising that Terada-sensei didn't give us much homework."

Rika inwardly flinched with the mentioning of the name of the person she thought she loved.

'I shouldn't be upset over the thought of him,' she scolded herself mentally. 'He never liked me the way Kai probably does, but I'm not sure if Kai has feelings for me.'

Kai creased his eyebrows once he noticed the anguish that quickly rose in Rika's eyes. Still, he asked no questions because the last time he saw the pain was two months ago when he found her crying under the cherry blossom tree.

The pain cleared out almost as fast as it moved in. Rika softly gave Kai a smile.

"Would you like to have hot chocolate with me at the coffee house?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, if you have better things to do, I'd understand. It's not as if you have to come if you'd think it's to boring. I just-"

Kai gently placed his finger on Rika's lips, and succeeded in stopping her ramble. The action surprised him and her both.

"There's nothing more I'd rather do," he said softly.

He noticed that Rika didn't move away from his caring touch. So Kai took a chance, and used the side of his finger to glide against her smooth cheek until he reached the top of her ear. Then he took a lock of her hair, and curled it around his finger.

Rika smiled as she submitted herself to Kai's tender ministrations. She never felt this way before, and she was almost sure that his feelings for her ran deeper than friendship. Once Kai slid his hand away, Rika opened her eyes, and gave him a warm smile.

"Ready to go?" Kai asked, holding his arm out like a gentleman.

Rika giggled as she comfortably slipped her arm through his.

"I can't wait," she answered truthfully.

~*~(Coffee Shop)~*~

"No wonder you were crying," Kai said in a genuinely concerned voice. "Something like that would of hurt anyone." Rika made the decision to tell Kai about the man who broke her heart...even though that same man was their teacher. She was surprised and overjoyed with the amount of understanding Kai had for her feelings. She felt so special, and she only wished that Kai liked her as much as she liked him.

"I wouldn't have made it through if I didn't have a special friend to help me," she said slowly. "It's because of him that I'm ready to trust my feeling once again."

There was someone else? A sharp emotional dagger pierced into Kai's heart once he realized that Rika was ready to move on. He hid his pain behind a small smile.

"So who's the lucky guy?" he asked in a strained voice, trying desperately not to break down.

Rika looked confused for a moment but then she understood what was going on. She them smiled at Kai, and loosely slipped her hand in his.

"It's you, silly," she chided playfully. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be heartbroken. You held me close, and dried my tears. You've been such a good friend Kai, but..."

Kai squeezed her hand, urging her to continue.

"I want more than friendship, Kai," Rika said quietly. "Can I be your girlfriend?"

The pain inside of Kai disappeared, and his heart swelled with fondness for the girl sitting in front of him. He was about to answer her question when the surroundings around them began to get warm. Too warm...

"FIRE!" someone from the kitchen shouted.

Chaos erupted as the customers scrambled towards the doors, acting out of sheer panic. Kai and Rika tried to get out, but someone pushed them out of the way. Kai fell on his side, bruising his arm in the process. He looked around for Rika. Finally, he found her lying motionless on the ground with a swelling that appeared on her temple.

With the flames edging their way behind him, Kai had to act fast. The smoke was thickening, and it getting harder to breath. The teen soaked some cloth in a glass of clean water, and placed it over Rika's nose and mouth after wringing it out so she wouldn't breath in the smoke by accident. Taking one last gulp of air that was safe from the smoke, Kai emerged from the building with a precious person nestled in his arms. No sooner than several seconds after they were out, the entrance collapsed while the fire fighters were doing their best to put the lethal flames out.

The paramedics arrived, and gently took Rika away from a stunned Kai. They began performing quick tests.

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked, his face strained from worry.

Feminine coughs answered Kai's question as he rushed to Rika's side.

"Oh Kai," she said softly, caressing his face. "You saved my life. How can I ever thank you?"

"By letting me be your boyfriend," he said soothingly. "Nothing more."

~*~(Evening)~*~

After receiving a call from Rika and Kai about their ordeal, Chiharu and Takashi went straight to go see them. Not only were they happy with their friends' safety, but also they were delighted to see that their friends were finally going out.

"So at last Kai took that chance that I was telling him about," said Takashi.

Chiharu didn't respond. She was trying to find the right words to use to tell Takashi that she loved him.

Takashi noticed something was bothering his girlfriend, so he stopped walking, and he placed his arm around Chiharu's shoulders.

"Is everything all right?" he asked in a tone that showed nothing but concern.

Chiharu took a deep breath. She wasn't going to run away from her fears any longer. She looked up until she met his eyes.

"There's something that I want to tell you, but I'm afraid of your reaction," she started slowly, being careful about her choice of words. "Takashi. I love you."

The girl quickly averted her eyes away when she heard her love gasp. When Takashi said nothing in return, Chiharu assumed the worst, and her eyes started to sting with tears.

"It's all right if you don't feel the same way for me," she said quickly, her voice breaking apart at the same time. "I'll understand if-"

Chiharu's words were cut off when Takashi cupped her chin and gave her a passionate kiss. Surprised, Chiharu returned the kiss with the same amount of passion, maybe even more. When she felt Takashi's tongue softly tracing her lips, silently asking for entrance, Chiharu gasped first, and then obliged to his wish. Their kiss deepened as Chiharu let out an involuntary moan from the back of her throat. Takashi held her even tighter, moulding her body against his for the perfect fit. Then the couple had to part to sooth their burning lungs with air.

"I love you too, my beautiful Chiharu," breathed out Takashi who was still catching his breath.

"Where did you learn how to kiss like that?" asked Chiharu with eyes that seemed almost black because they were dilated.

"Did you know that romance novels are filled with make out scenes? If there was no kissing the books would never get off the shelves. The pioneer of romance novel writers discovered that she couldn't get her first book published because... because..."

The reason why Takashi wasn't able to continue was because Chiharu was giving him butterfly kisses on his neck, and he didn't want her to stop.

'After all these years, I finally found a way for him to stop lying,' she thought to herself. 'Now I just hope that he'll lie more often.'

Chiharu learned back, and smiled when she saw Takashi with a goofy face of content. He opened his eyes, pleased to see her with a smile that could light up any room. Without a word, he slipped his arm around her waist, and walked her home with the sun setting behind them, indicating it was yet another day in Toemoda, filled with nothing but love that was destined to be.

The spirit looking over the two couples smile.

"My work is not done yet, Card Captors," she said to herself. "Two down, and two more to go."

~*~*~*~*~


	9. Life Altering Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter of Destined Love! It concluded on January 10th, 2003, around two months after I started it. Strangely enough this was one of the chapters that was the fuzziest in my memory so re-reading it was more like discovering it for the first time!

Chapter 9: Life Altering Choices

~*~*~*~*~

The Seijou High school bells chimed, signalling the end of another day of lessons. However, this wasn't an ordinary December day. The joyful laughter echoing through out the groups of students signified the beginning of the well-deserved holiday break. Nothing was better than two weeks of pure rest and relaxation.

The time off also had to be used for the graduating class's decision of what college to attend to for the upcoming year. That was the topic of the discussion Sakura, Tomoyo, Chiharu and Rika were having.

"I think I'll be going to the local college," said Chiharu as she watched the clouds in the sky. "Takashi told me that he'd probably be going there too."

"I'm not surprised," began Tomoyo. "After that stunt you pulled a couple of months ago, I bet you'll follow Takashi to the ends of the earth if you have to."

"Are you saying that you won't do the same thing for Eriol?" questioned Rika.

Tomoyo thought it over, and said, "Even though I care about him a lot, I don't think I'd be able to pick up everything and leave."

"Well, I know that I'd do anything for Syaoran," said Sakura. "The exact same way he'd do anything for me."

With those words, the four friends were suddenly bombarded with snowballs.

"Snowball fight!" shouted Syaoran, Eriol, Takashi and Kai in unison.

The girls quickly became alert and ready for action.

"You guys are going down!" yelled Sakura as she shot a snowball at Syaoran.

The snowball travelled quickly, and Syaoran had to dive to get out of the way. All though it didn't hit him, the teen landed in a pile of snow, just as Sakura planned. Covered from head to toe with snow, Syaoran's attempt to stand failed as Sakura pounced on top of him, straddling his stomach with her legs.

"One down!" she yelled, listening to the girls cheer with her victory.

Syaoran was startled with her aggressiveness, but then he formed a sly smile. Before Sakura had a chance to question him about his mysterious grin, he put his hands on her hips, and turned her around so she'd be the one who was pinned.

"One down!" he yelled, echoing his love's former words.

Sakura chuckled and said, "Now I'm going to make sure that you don't get back up."

Just as Syaoran opened his mouth to ask, Sakura lifted her head to capture his lips to give a kiss that would melt the snow of the coldest of winter days. Syaoran lowered his body down, supporting most of his weight on his arms as he returned the kiss. The couple forgot about their surroundings as they focused their mind solely on the embrace.

~*~(School Yard)~*~

The snowball fight continued between the remaining guys and girls, but soon the couples separated, making the battle be boyfriend against girlfriend.

Takashi looked around. Rika was chasing Kai in the direction of the bare cherry blossom trees, while Eriol was running after Tomoyo around the picnic tables. But where was Chiharu?

His question was answered when a large amount of snow was shoved in the back of his shirt.

Takashi shrieked and cried out, "Revenge shall be sweet, my love!"

Chiharu giggled and ran as fast her legs could carry her. Unfortunately, that wasn't fast enough as she soon felt Takashi's arm around her waist, and the two of them fell on the snow.

"Now we're both wet!" she said as she looked in Takashi's eyes. "Got any ideas on how to dry off?"

Takashi took a few moments to think it over.

"Your clothes are still at my place from that time you came to Toemoda in the rain," he said. "Why don't you change there, and then I'll treat you to a candlelight homemade dinner?"

Chiharu got up and pulled Takashi along side her.

"You romantic little devil," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "There's nothing that I'd like more, but only if you let me help."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Takashi as the couple left the school. Even though they were soaked to the bone with ice-cold snow, the love they shared couldn't be any warmer.

~*~(Trees)~*~

Kai was leaning back against a tree with Rika snuggled in his arms. The snowball fight long being over, the two took the time to enjoy each other's company before it was time to go their separate ways.

"Hey Kai, have you ever kissed a girl?" asked Rika out of the blue.

The dark haired teen stiffened from the question. Where did that come from?

"N-no," he stuttered. "I, um, I've always been too, uh, shy."

Rika giggled with his display of nervousness, and got up to face him.

"I've never been kissed either," she confessed. "Kiss me, Kai?

The boy smiled as he slowly brought his bare hand up to caress Rika's face. She let out a soft sigh as she tilted her head to rest her cheek in Kai's gentle hand.

Kai's thumb softly went over Rika's lips as her eyes closed, waiting for his kiss to come. When Rika felt his lips on hers, nothing felt more right, or more perfect. She couldn't of been happier, and she was sure Kai felt the same way.

~*~(Picnic Tables)~*~

Tomoyo and Eriol had their fun with the snow, and once they were finished playing, Eriol used his magic to dry both Tomoyo and himself off.

"Which college will you be going to, Eriol?" asked Tomoyo with curiosity.

Eriol looked at her with his sapphire eyes, and simply said, "I'm not going to college. In fact, I didn't even have to go to high school. But I had to stay close to Syaoran and Sakura."

Tomoyo nodded her head, understanding. Being the reincarnation of Clow Reed did have its advantages.

"So now that Sakura and Syaoran created their own magic, they don't need me anymore," he continued. "So I'm free to go back to England."

Tomoyo nodded again as tears began to sting her amethyst eyes. Would this be the end for her and Eriol? She couldn't hold back any longer as she involuntary let out a soft sob.

"So when are you leaving?" she struggled to say.

Her tears took Eriol back as he tried to figure out what caused Tomoyo to cry. When the answer finally came to him, he gathered the weeping teen in his arms, and kissed away her tears.

"Dearest Tomoyo," he whispered in her ear. "Syaoran and Sakura may not need me anymore. But that's not why I'm staying here."

A weight suddenly lifted from Tomoyo's shoulders.

"Then why are you staying?" she asked.

Eriol chuckled and his eyes sparkled as he kissed the tip of her nose.

"I love you too much to leave you, my sweet," he said soothingly. "You and I are destined to be together forever."

"Forever," Tomoyo echoed softly as she leaned forward to give him a kiss. "I'll love you forever."

~*~(Syaoran's House)~*~

"I think we're going to have more snowball fights," said Sakura as she inhaled Syaoran's scent of sandalwood and autumn from the clothes that he lent her.

"That's fine by me," Syaoran said from behind as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Especially if that means if I get to see you in my clothes."

Sakura laughed as she turned around to give him a kiss. Then another, and another. Soon she realized that she couldn't tear herself away... not that she wanted to.

Syaoran was stroking the material of the shirt on Sakura's sides. Somehow, his hands got under the material, slowly caressing the same part of her torso.

Sakura kissed him a bit harder, silently asking for more. Hesitantly, Syaoran's fingers traveled higher up, until —

The phone rang.

The couple quickly separated, catching their breath, and shyly exchanging coy smiles.

"I, uh, think I'll get that now..." Syaoran said as he headed towards the ringing phone.

Sakura was too caught up with what just happened to answer him.

'How far would we of went if there wasn't any interruptions?' she thought to herself.

Sakura was so lost in her thoughts, that she almost didn't hear Syaoran return. When she looked up at him, all she was able to focus on was his troubled face.

"There's an emergency with my Clan," he said, getting a suitcase out of the closet.

"How serious is it?" Sakura asked in a worried tone.

"I don't know yet, but I have to leave right away," he called out from his room. "But most likely I'm going to have to go to a college close to home."

The emerald-eyed beauty gasped. Everything was happening so fast.

"I'll try to come back before Christmas," he said quickly, putting on his coat. "I wouldn't ask you this unless I truly loved you, which I do. Sakura would you go to college in Hong Kong with me? Please think about it first."

"I...Syaoran," was all Sakura could say as she flung her arms around her boyfriend, not really sure when she'll she him again.

"I love you so much," Syaoran said as he gave her one last kiss. "I need to go. I'll see you soon."

Sakura looked at the one she loved until he was out of her sight.

"Goodbye Syaoran," she said softly. "I'll be waiting for you."

She gathered her belongings, and locked the door, realizing that Syaoran forgot to take his key.

~*~(Christmas Night)~*~

The days past by slowly, and if it wasn't for Syaoran's phone calls, Sakura would have broke apart inside. Although festive music was playing, and her friends and family were enjoying the party that she was hosting, Sakura couldn't help but feel that a part of her was missing.

The ring of the doorbell snapped her out of her gloomy thoughts.

'I wonder who that could be,' she thought to herself.

She opened the door, and Sakura's mouth formed into a wide smile when she saw whom it was.

"Syaoran!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much!"

Syaoran lifted her up, and spun her in circles.

"I missed you too, cherry blossom," he replied.

Sakura laughed and said, "Oh my little wolf, I don't think I could bare to be apart from you any longer."

"Have you made your decision?" he asked softy, not wanting anyone to over hear.

Sakura nodded her head, and led Syaoran to the room where everyone was.

Greetings for the Chinese teen arose from various areas from the room. Sakura cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"I have an announcement to make," stated Sakura who quickly made eye contact with her father because she talked to him about her decision a couple of days after Syaoran left Japan.

"Syaoran will be going to college in China, and I have decided that I will be going with him."

The room quieted with Sakura's declaration. Then everyone started talking at once. While the majority of people were very happy with the news, fire was beginning to rage in a certain overprotective brother's eyes.

Before Touya could get angry, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Yukito's eyes telling him that there was nothing he could do about it, and that he had to give in. Touya let out a sigh in return.

Suddenly, Syaoran loudly cleared his own throat.

"I also have to make an announcement," he said as the room silenced for a second time. Then Syaoran turned to make his amber eyes look deep in her emerald pools.

"Kinomoto Sakura, I never thought I'd love a girl as much as I love you. You are my sunshine on any cloudy day, and being away from you is the worst pain that I ever have, and will ever suffer. I can't foresee my future without you. So I have one more question to ask." Softly, Syaoran went on one knee. "Will you marry me, and let me be your husband?"

A single tear slid down Sakura's cheek and stopped when it met the corner of her smile.

"Yes Syaoran," she said tenderly. "Now until the end of time, yes, yes, yes."

Cheers and wishes of congratulations were given as Syaoran slipped the engagement ring on Sakura's finger.

All the girls rushed to see Sakura and her newest piece of jewellery. The ring was gorgeous. A sparkling diamond was in the centre surrounded by alternating emerald and amber gems, forming the figure of the beautiful flower that leant her its name: the cherry blossom.

Everyone was enjoying the party, with the exception of Touya, and just then, an unsealed card waiting patiently outside the window caught Sakura's eye. Quickly she took her fiancé's hand, and quickly led him outside.

Once the card in the presence of its creators, it shifted itself in its free form. She was beautiful. Her light brown hair went all the way down her back, and her head was crowned with a wreath of the bluest forget-me- nots. Her dress was shimmering and it matched the colour of the flowers perfectly. Her light green eyes were the same colour as the peridot jewellery that adorned her hair, neck, wrists and hands.

"Hello card captors," she greeted. "My name is the Decision Card, and it was my job to help everyone make their decisions."

"So you're saying that you helped all of us?" asked Sakura.

"Some were easier than others," Decision began. "Rika and Kai had to decide whether or not they wanted a relationship that went deeper than friendship. Chiharu and Takashi wanted to confess their love for one and other.

"What about Eriol and Tomoyo?" questioned Syaoran. "What decision did they have to make?"

The spirit smiled. "The reincarnation of Clow doesn't need to be there for the both of you anymore," she said. "However, he chose to stay because he loves Tomoyo too much."

"Then there's the two of us," Sakura continued. "Did we make the right decision of getting engaged?"

"If you make a choice by using the judgement of your heart, you'll never be wrong," Decision informed. "I am the last card the two of you created. Once I am sealed, this quest will be done. You have done well, card captors."

Once the Decision Card was thanked and sealed, Sakura and Syaoran went back to the house, filled with the purest love that was destined to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The End


End file.
